Invincible
by Geekasauruz
Summary: The vigilante, Reaper, believes in harsher punishment for criminals...but Superman unexpectedly drags her into the wider world of metahuman crime fighting. Together they face an attempted invasion by General Zod, being trapped on an alternate Earth ravaged by Injustice, and Doomsday itself.
1. One

**_Chapter One: The Man of Steel_**

The sky had darkened from bleak gray to a familiar black by the time Silvia took to the streets. The relentless downpour of the morning had since tapered off into a softly falling mist which managed to paint the area in a strangely dwindling light. This was the time that criminals rummaged and inflicted chaos upon Metropolis. They travelled in the slums, through the poorest areas of the city and formed petty alliances for the smallest of jobs.

The so-called 'Superheroes' that strutted around in the daylight hours were of no use, in Silvia's quite experienced opinion. They pretended that they fought for justice, but the criminals they caught were locked up for barely a week before they were out killing again. Silvia was one of the few that put an end to that relentless cycle. She did what the weak feared to do.

The girl's pale fingers grazed against her clothed thigh, feeling the chill of metal through her thin tights and smirking. The main district had been fairly abandoned besides the occasional midnight straggler (usually a worker returning from a night-long shift).

When she finally arrived at the park it had grown ever darker. The shadows of the trees blended into the blackness and their silhouettes against the sky was less pronounced than she was accustomed to. Where a lesser persons sight disappeared, sound seemed to emerge as if the volume had been steadily turned upward. The breaking of a simple leaf or twigs became the focus. Luckily Silvia was not lesser; she was enhanced. It was still dark, a minor inconvenience, but she could see very clearly the group of men that stood at the edge of the park.

They were all fairly burly; chords of muscle wrapped loosely around their arms but only one of them had legs of any particularly impressive size. The others had obviously forgotten to tone the rest of their bodies. Silvia huffed, costume shifting uncomfortably with every step she took. They didn't look like they'd put up an entertaining fight...

She could hear their mumbling from ten yards away, but as she approached it only became louder. The pathetic thugs nudged and poked at each other, smirking and puffing their chests out. "Nice outfit, Doll-face." One of them whistled.

Silvia pulled to a halt several metres away and cocked her head. She reached up and slipped a fabric mask over her face, shoving long strands of blonde hair beneath it. The mask bore the image of a jagged, messily drawn skull-like face, washed in faded navy. "You too."

She yanked the sawn off shotgun from her back with her right hand, pointed it at the face of the nearest thug and squeezed the trigger. A mind-rattling 'bang' consumed the silence as the thug's head exploded in a backwards funnel of meat, shredded bone and brains. Silvia was intoxicated by the silence that followed, and the horrified expressions that twisted to the rest of the criminal's faces. The end of the shotgun was flipped and rested on her shoulder as her free hand fell to her hip. "Hmm... I was expecting a little more blood."

Their eyes glazed over like an icy puddle, staring at the body in horror. Silvia could see every small change in their faces, every twitch until they jolted into survival mode. The shortest of the men gritted his teeth with an animalistic growl and Silvia muttered "Finally" before shoving her shotgun onto her back once more. The thug darted toward her, fist clenched and aiming directly for her nose. The masked woman dodged the hit almost effortlessly, and before the smaller man could even register that he had missed, she had reached to her thigh and grabbed a pistol from its holster.

Two gunshots cracked into the air as loud as thunder but without the raw power of a storm. In comparison to the shotgun they were quiet, coming from one direction only. Even if they could have been mistaken for the cracks of an oncoming squall there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There was less blood this time, but it splattered over the previous corpse in the same thick crimson. The entrance wounds were small and close together, but the exit punctures were surrounded by lifted skin and melded into one giant hole.

Silvia didn't give the body a second glance as it fell to the ground in a crumble. "Now, who's next?"

The next gunshots came thick like winter hail. The tin projectiles cutting through the frozen air just as harshly as the last. Each one ripped into something, be it inanimate or living, some spilling tree sap as they exited their skulls, others stuck in the bone and chipping the scalp, but all with equal indifference. They hadn't even had the chance to fight before their corpses littered the park floor, but one was spared. The largest of the lot; thick neck, large biceps, and strong legs.

The pistol was thrown over her shoulder, leaving her with nothing but her bare hands. A grin stretched across her face, left invisible beneath her leather mask. Adrenaline pumped through Silvia's veins like it had been injected with a syringe, it pierced her skin and cycled through her body in full pelt.

The remaining criminal charged but this time the woman made no effort to move. She just stood there... waiting. The man swung his sharp knuckles her way and they smashed against her jaw with a loud, wet sound. It was a hard hit and left an ache on the side of her face, but there was no blood...nor broken bones. The only evidence that he had laid a hand on her was the grunt that broke from her throat.

She whipped her head back up, index finger trailing the length of her jaw; the fabric of her mask was rough to the touch.

"That hurt." She said lowly, a hint of amusement evident in her tone. She always gave the regular criminals the first hit. Silvia's balled fist collided with the thug's cheekbone, flaying his neck backward like a willow caught in the wind. As he stumbled, he nearly fell over the corpses of his 'friends'.

The masked figure slipped forward, stepping over the bloodied men only to kick the remaining one directly in the stomach. He lurched, doubling over with a gagged struggle for air. One hand shot up, trembling and soaked in the blood of his group of vermin. "Wh-What do you want?!" He gasped out, refusing to tear his gaze away from the crimson stained grass.

The answer came not in words, but in the loud 'thwack' of her bashing his head against her knee. There was a crack and a gush of blood - the man's nose had been broken. The criminal yelled out in pain and scurried backwards. One hand held onto his nose in agony and the other was held up at her in a symbol of surrender but it did not stop her from approaching him once more.

"That's enough!" An unfamiliar voice boomed from behind her.

"Am I gonna have to kill someone else?" Silvia threatened, flipping a throwing knife from her sleeve and turning around. The man that the voice belonged to was around 6'3 in height with jet black hair and bright blue eyes. He had more muscle in one arm than all of the thugs combined, let alone her. She seemed to freeze when her gaze dropped to the giant 'S' symbol on his chest. "Fuck."

There was a moment of complete and utter silence between the two. Superman was standing with his fists clenched and arms folded, jaw tightening in fury as he stared at the vigilante. She, however, was taken back by just how massive Superman was. She had heard stories, but never imagined that he'd come after someone as insignificant as her. The stories didn't do him justice, and certainly didn't prepare her for how tiny she felt in comparison.

The masked woman had a moment of curiosity, eyes shining brightly though they went unseen...then again, you could never be too sure with Superman. The knife in her hand was flicked quickly, and directly, at the superhero. It not only bounced off of his broad abdomen, but when it fell to the ground Silvia could see that the blade had bent completely on impact.

A sharp inhale could be heard whistling through her teeth. Nerves racked her body with far more intensity then it did when faced with any other superhero. The others she could, at the very least, attempt to escape from...but Superman? It seemed pointless to even try.

Silvia cleared her throat, taking the sawed off shotgun from her back again and pointing it toward him. "I suppose this won't do much damage either, right?"

The gigantic man dropped his arms and slowly paced towards her. "You think this is a game?"

Silvia hesitated.

"Lives wasted. And you joke."

"They weren't exactly innocent lives." The girl finally said, trying to conceal the anxiousness that slowly overtook her. "Together they've killed over one hundred people, and that one," she pointed to one of the bodies. "the one with half his head blown off, he killed a five year old boy just last week."

Superman suddenly snapped forward and grabbed Silvia by the shoulder and drove her into a nearby tree, glaring daggers into her eyes. "You don't get to decide who lives and who dies. You're just as bad as they are. And you know it."

For a moment Silvia felt herself tremble, but this fear was quickly discarded. "I don't get to decide, but they do? Where were you when they killed that boy? Saving a cat from a tree?" Sap dribbled onto her costume, sticky and sinking through to her skin. She could feel it glueing the suit to her, but with such a powerful being holding her down, it was the least of her worries. "We can't all be like the great Boy Scout Superman; forgiving murderers and locking them away knowing that they'll be released and start killing again. By sparing these vile criminals, you're deciding who lives and dies as much as I am. You're just deciding wrong-"

She was cut off when the larger man's hand wrapped around her neck. She gasped, but quickly found that she could still breathe. Though he was attempting to intimidate her, and was obviously enraged about the thugs that she had killed, he wasn't hurting her. "I'm not going to be lectured by a murderer. There's plenty of room in Stryker's for people like you. You're finished."

There was another loud bang but Superman didn't look the least bit surprised by it. He must have known she had the gun pointed at his stomach before she even had the chance to pull the trigger. When he didn't even stumble back she assumed the bullet had ricocheted off of him and gave a nervous chuckle. "I should've seen that coming."

Finally, Superman let go of her only to snatch the shotgun out of her hands. The girl hadn't completely registered that he had taken it before he crushed the weapon between his fingers, turning it to nothing but dust that sprinkled onto the floor.

"Reginald...!" Silvia gasped weakly, dropping to the ground. She desperately clawed at the metal dust and sawdust on the cobble pathway. "...W-Why...?" She muttered tenderly.

Superman scoffed. Silvia froze and looked up, seeing the hero tower over her with a look of sheer disgust on his face. "You're...insane. To do what you just did."

"He was my favourite!" Silvia retorted, cradling the dust and carefully sprinkling it into an empty vial. She tucked it into her pocket and reached out for her pistol. Her shoulders were obviously tense when she turned back around, pointing the gun to where she had left the last criminal but he was no longer there. "Shit! You let him get away...figures. The next person he kills is on you."

"His name is Michael Stanton. He earns fifty dollars a week and is the sole provider for a family of six."

Silvia realised that her pistol had seemingly disappeared the way her shotgun did. "Oh for fuck's sake."

Superman appeared before her, pistol crushed in one hand. "He has a criminal record, yes. He doesn't keep the greatest company, yes. But he's clean now. For his family. But you were about to throw that all away. Now his friends are dead... Regardless of what atrocities they may have committed, they were still human lives. And human lives deserve chances. That's the difference between me and you. I don't think the human race is beyond saving. I believe that everybody has the potential to say no. Society needs their system...and right now, it's not perfect and that will only be fixed in time. When one person puts themselves above all others in society and believes that they have a duty to kill undesirable people, it always ends poorly for them."

The girl sighed at her crushed weapon, crossing her arms in irritation. "These thugs were meeting here to steal shit, kill people. Your precious system doesn't work."

"They meet here every night to go bowling."

Silvia paused. "...Fucking whatever. You gonna lecture me all night, mister psychologist? I know what I think is right."

Superman grimaced and took a single step closer. "You'll have plenty of time to talk to a psychologist where I'm taking you."

"Look, we know how this is going to play out. You'll take me to jail, I'll break out, I'll clean up the streets for you so-called 'superheroes' then the cycle will repeat itself. I ain't dumb enough to fight you off so let's not drag this out." The girl held both wrists out as if expecting the powerful man to create a pair of handcuffs out of thin air. "Though, you'd better keep an eye on the fucker that escaped. Don't want another life on your conscience, I'm sure you've got enough as it is."

Without warning, there was a huge gust of wind. It was completely unexpected on such a dry, humid night. When it had ceased, Silvia's surroundings had changed. The beautifully gloomy park was now replaced with an open ocean, and in the distance was Stryker's Island Penitentiary.

—————————————-

_**Author's Note**: This story is part of my DC series, which consists of eight stories (Invincible, Escape Velocity, The Throne of Atlantis, Inhuman, Mortal, Peacekeeper, Elysium, and Legacy). It's not necessary to read them all if you're not interested, but they will link together as if they were operating within the same universe._


	2. Two

**_Chapter Two: Reaper_**

The walls were crumbling. If Silvia took the edge of her nail she could dig at the softening mortar between the distressed bricks. It was the dampness that did it, she thought. No matter the weather outside the floor was always wet in there; probably an underground spring surfacing just outside the walls and soaking through the building as time passed. Surrounded by four white walls, there was nothing else to do but stare at them. To look at the floor that was littered in claw marks - gouged by other prisoners.

Not long after Superman had left, two rather cautious officers had barged into her cell and scoured for any belonging. They had yanked her mask off, taken her knives, and the vial of dust she had collected from her now disintegrated shotgun. She was used to this routine, Silvia spent much of her teenage years in that very same cell.

When they threw her a prison jumpsuit she had stripped down with little concern for whether they were looking or not, then thrown her sap and blood ridden outfit in their direction. The jumpsuit was a little too big on her, but she doubted that it would be any more comfortable if it fit her properly; it was like wearing a bin bag.

Silvia relentlessly scratched her arms, the fabric never failing to chafe against her fair skin. The prison was full of the mumblings of criminals and the occasional swearing whenever an officer passed by. It was a rowdy environment but one that had a certain amount of charm to it.

In some areas they were allowed to sit at the cafeteria for dinner (though they had to help cook and clean in exchange), but in Silvia's section their meals were brought to their cells. The smell of stale wheat products and watery soup filled the air, all presented on a tray and stacked in a way that was definitely squashing the bread.

The man serving dinner was instantly recognizable. Everything about him was wrong. His head perched at an angle on shoulders that were themselves crooked and hunched. His right arm was shorter than his left. His left leg, however, was several inches longer than his right. His feet were encased in black leather shoes, one heavier and larger than the other. He wore a black leather jacket with jeans... his muscles rippled beneath the cloth as if with a life of their own. Nothing in his body was coordinated, so although he was moving forward, he seemed to be trying to go backward or sideways.

His face was even worse. It looked as though it had been taken to pieces and put back together again by a child with only a vague knowledge of the human form. There were a dozen scars on his neck and around his cheeks, likely from his years working around such dangerous people.

When he made it over to her cell Silvia stepped a little closer to the bars. The man didn't look surprised to see her there, but he did look amused. "Almost managed to stay out of jail for a whole year this time, didn't you?"

"Would've been longer if that Boy Scout hadn't ruined my streak." Silvia sighed, leaning against the bars.

"Oh...yeah, him." He replied knowingly, opening a hidden cabinet in the tray and taking out a silver plate. "You should be proud of yourself. He usually just keeps to the bigger stuff. Plane crashes, terrorist attacks, car accidents...It means you're moving up in the world. You're doing good work, Sil. He doesn't think so, but all us little people who have to clean up all the mess...We'd rather clean up the bodies of lunatics than the bodies of husbands, wives, sons, daughters...you get the picture."

"They don't understand that the systems broken. It's sad, really. That they think they're helping people." Silvia took the plate when the cell was opened, and smirked when it was shut again.

The man winked at her, his clouded eye struggling to focus. His voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm on watch next week. Perhaps it would be best if you were on high alert." His index finger flicked against a metal bar and it echoed down the hall. "These doors have been mysteriously... unlocking themselves of late."

"I'll keep it in mind." Silvia felt the edge of her lips twitch but contained the smile that wanted to break forth as the man walked away.

Many within the police force still supported heroes like Superman, but others had started to agree with those further down. They were sick of the injustice, and the leniency served to murderers. This greatly benefitted Silvia as it gave her new contacts inside the prison.

The blonde sat down and the concrete sent a chill to her skin. The food on her plate was similar to that of everyone else's instead hers had a small portion of mashed potato smothered in gravy, and there had been extra care that her bread did not get squashed upon arrival.

The entire building then began to rumble, and Silvia started digging into her revolting meal. Multiple thundering booms shook through the concrete fortress. Silvia noticed that the mash was a bit...clumpy. It wasn't last time, she recalled. She scrunched her face up, but continued to devour the food.

"All personnel, Code Red situation in Delta Wing! Repeat, Code Red situation, Delta Wing!" A voice called over the PA. "Distress call has been sent to the Watchtower; evacuate all non-combat personnel immediately."

Silvia stirred the potato across her plate, the gravy sinking into each crevice it created. She glanced up at the speakers before looking back down to her food with a bored expression. Having had enough of the mash and gravy, she grabbed the bread. Silvia munched upon the cold, stale loaf as guards armed in tactical gear sprinted past her cell door, shouting jargon at each other. Silvia felt around the bottom of her food tray with one hand...and wiggled something loose. She raised a small silver shiv into the light, inspecting it.

Screams and roars echoed through the prison, as confused inmates shouted questions at each other. Then there was an alarm that rotated between about six different annoying noises of varying pitch and volume. It could only be described as something between a guttural cry and a shriek.

Silvia had only just pushed her plate away before the alarm ceased. A short period of silence engulfed the wing until, finally, there was a low horn and the sound of multiple doors unlocking at once. The cells swung open and from inside the criminals dashed out, fighting against each other to escape.

The blonde woman quickly concealed the shiv in her sleeve and got to her feet. Outside, there were a few other confused inmates peering out of their cells as the screams and thuds grew louder. Silvia shuffled to the cell door, but stayed inside.

"Hey!" A prisoner across the hall began to pace over to Silvia's cell. "You're that bitch who blew up my crew! You're fucking dead, you piece of--"

An earth shattering roar tore at the silence, as a massive purple beast stampeded through the wing, snatching the inmate with one fell motion. The monster was taking gunfire from the guards...but Silvia swore that he seemed to get larger with every round that hit. The man in his hand gradually shrivelled like a sultana, until he was nothing but a barely living husk. The monster pegged the prisoner at the wall, before lunging at the group of guards, out of Silvia's line of sight.

Around the hall she could see the horrified looks some of the inmates wore, whilst the smarter of the bunch realised that the guards were distracted by the monster. Silvia gave one faint look toward the corpse of the shrivelled man, deciding that he probably deserved much worse.

Shrugging her shoulders, she leapt forward and rushed out of the wing. On her way out she was wedged inside a large group of criminals; all trying to escape while there was still time.

"Move you fucking morons!" One woman yelled. Silvia glanced at her...and saw that she had light blue skin and white hair. This woman raised her hands, and a gust of frost blew outward, engulfing a chunk of the prisoners in front of Silvia. She was forced to dive backwards, already feeling like she was about to freeze to death.

On the ground, she sent her eyes back up, and saw that over half of the other prisoners had been rendered into icicles. With a cackle, the blue woman barged through, smashing a large number of them into millions of pieces.

"Fuck." Silvia gasped.

Just as she and the other inmates around her mustered the courage to stand and keep going, they were subjected to an unbearable amount of rumbling. With a terrible crack, the purple monster was hurled through the left wall of the hallway, and impacted onto the right. Gripping its neck...was Superman. "I think you've had enough for today. Time to get the bill." He quipped, before he blew a fierce arctic wind at the creature's body. The monster's purple skin faded to blueish white, and became encrusted with ice.

"Oh fuck me." Silvia called. She skidded on her feet and ran in the opposite direction. Superman was the last person she wanted to encounter.

Her legs propelled her through the chaos, pushing her faster than any other inmate. She took a turn and slipped into a maintenance corridor, which from her unreliable memory, should have been an alternate path to the prison wall, where she could escape into the river.

The corridor released Silvia at the processing centre where she saw about half a dozen inmates struggling against... "Come on...no fucking way."

The caped figure leapt and flipped like a ninja, landing blows left, right and centre on the outmatched inmates. He threw metal objects at the cowards who tried to run, knocking them out in their tracks.

Silvia took a deep breath, and charged at the Bat. He twirled around her, but her enhanced speed and agility managed to give her the upper hand. She brandished her shiv and buried it into Batman's ribcage, causing him to grunt in pain.

The other inmates roared, overpowering the injured Dark Knight just after she had pulled the shiv back out. Silvia wasn't going to stick around. She knew that it would only buy her about ten seconds of time, so she took off in the direction of the evidence lock up room.

Her belongings were still sprawled out on a nearby table, probably still being sorted through. The girl quickly grabbed her outfit, along with her mask and vial of dust.

Once she had made it back out another inmate skidded to a halt beside her. "What are you doing? If you want to escape now's the time."

"What I'm doing is none of your business." Silvia retorted.

The inmate raised his hands with a scoff. "Whatever, just trying to help."

"I don't remember asking you to."

The man's face scrunched up at her, obviously unsure how to react. His milky eyes darted down and landed on the possessions she clutched in her hands. His expression hadn't changed much... that is until his stare fell onto the mask.

"You're... The Reaper." His eyes leapt back up to Silvia's...and she could see the fear and hate in his eyes. She knew what he was going to try to do.

The two bounded at each other, and Silvia instantly brought the shiv up. Blood sprayed over her face as the inmate tried to reach up to his neck and force the small blade out. Silvia pushed it further in, causing more crimson fluid to gush out over her.

The man fell to the ground, gargling and grasping at his throat. The blonde wiped the blade on her jumpsuit and smeared the blood across the orange layout. Silvia then held the shiv back up to eye level, inspecting its shine before stuffing it back up her sleeve. Now, to get out of there before Batman found her... He was likely to hold a grudge.


	3. Three

**_Chapter Three: Off the Hook_**

That Summer night seemed to extend for eternity. The sky was still luminous with starlight, and the moon was full and bright. Getting off Strykers Island had taken a solid half hour of swimming, so by the time her feet kissed the land again she was exhausted.

Water dripped off Silvia's saturated form. It forced her outfit to stick uncomfortably to her skin and strands of her hair to cling together in a matted clump. Silvia shivered at the unwelcome feeling, wiping her face of the thin sheet of droplets that had covered it.

The girl slipped into the sewers and trudged forward, eyes pleading for sleep but mind still wide awake. The handful of escapees from Stryker's Island were running rampant in Metropolis now and Silvia was delighted to see, once she returned home and booted up her laptop, more hit requests come up on the dark web. Hits worth thousands of dollars posted by angry mob bosses, grief stricken families, you name it.

Silvia wasn't going to let that money get a head start on her. So after suiting up in a dry outfit, grabbing a new load of guns and one of the countless stolen smartphones in her drawer, she pulled a trench coat over her suit, stuffed her mask into a pocket and left.

Her first target was... Arnold Wesker? He was a Gothamite...they called him the Ventriloquist or something. He was a lunatic, and probably going to get transferred over to Arkham before that monster decided to smash his way out and flip the place upside down. Silvia had to take to the internet to figure out what the heck happened, because giant purple monsters weren't her usual thing.

Called the Parasite, that thing had apparently been feeding on cockroaches that managed to find their way into his isolation cell for close to a year, and that got him strong enough to break out. After that, all the guards were just protein bars that made him even stronger. He fed on energy, all types of it. Silvia figured that was why Supes just froze him and didn't beat him up.

Making her way out of Southside, Silvia eyed the info on Wesker that her client provided her with on her cellphone. He apparently had a hideout in some pub's basement in downtown Metropolis. She thought of heading that way to ruffle a few feathers on the street to see who'd spill.

The night was quiet, given that it was around 1 am. The streets were mostly empty as Silvia sprinted through alleyways like a ghost. Her movement didn't make a single sound, so the scarce amount of people still out, despite the police curfew in light of the breakout, would never notice her.

It was all going to plan...until she hit 42nd Street near the main plaza. She saw the wrecks of several cars on the street, smashed to pieces and burnt black. "Oh what now...? Just one quiet night...please?" She muttered to herself.

Silvia stopped, then pulled her mask on just in case. The street damage seemed to be incredible and there were stomp marks engraved in the ground. Suddenly, Silvia felt a familiar gust of wind. She spun on her heel. It was Superman...again. His face was worn in a frustrated and annoyed glare.

"Oh. Hi. Hey, this wasn't me. I just got here. And I don't...my feet aren't big enough." Silvia stammered, stepping a foot into the cracked pavement.

Superman, who was hovering a metre into the air, landed with immense grace and power. "I wasn't here for you...but I'll gladly take you back before you paint the streets red again." He said, seeming slightly less gloomy than he was the other night. To be fair, he was standing over a few dead people that night.

Silvia froze once more, trying to think of something. There was nothing she could do. Nothing... She saw how powerful he was in the prison just a few hours ago. There was no escaping or fighting something like that. So, compelled by helplessness, she put her most useful asset to use; her annoying mouth. "So. Uh. You know what's happening?" She asked awkwardly, pointing at the car and the foot prints.

"Look, this area of this city is dangerous right now. I have to--"

The Man of Steel was cut off mid sentence as a red bolt of energy lanced over from across the street and hit him dead centre in the chest. He let out a faint grunt, before muttering "...I actually felt that..."

Silvia looked over and her blue eyes fell on some kind of robot standing inside one of the gutted buildings. Slowly, others emerged and made their way to each other. There were about a dozen of them. They moved eerily fluid, like real people but slower and more deliberate.

"They're out of control. Leave. We can finish this another night." Superman told Silvia, carefully eyeing the robots.

If they could hurt Superman, and there were like twelve of them, they could kill a lot of innocent people if it wasn't contained, Silvia thought. She knew that Superman couldn't save everyone, so she wasn't about to trust him with this situation. One person alone couldn't keep these machines from moving into populated places. Not even the 'great' Superman.

Silvia pulled her trench coat off and shouldered the belt-fed heavy machine gun she had slung on her back. "Please don't break this one...it costs more than my whole apartment building."

Superman cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Silvia. "What are you doing now?"

"Making sure you don't get someone killed. Someone innocent. I don't really care about the rest."

The broad hero thinned his lips, obviously weighing his choices. Before he could say anything, another bolt was fired their way. Silvia was puzzled to see that Superman didn't move; even _she_ could've dodged that. After further scrutinizing the situation, Silvia realized that if he moved, she would've gotten hit...

With that, a blue streak traced its way over to the closest machine. Superman appeared in its wake; his hand pierced the torso of this machine and tore its vital components out as his eyes glowed bright red. Silvia didn't see any laser beam or anything, just that the robot's head melted into slag within seconds.

Silvia finally snapped out of her awe-induced trance and aimed down her sights at a machine. Its arm, pointed at Superman, began to glow crimson, charging up some kind of energy. She fixed her aim upon the robot's head and fired a series of short, controlled bursts at the metal thing. Silvia had to be careful not to have bullets going stray...with a gun like the one she was using now, it would most likely keep going until it hit someone or something.

She slammed the machine long enough for its head to pop, effectively shutting down its processor. By the time Silvia cheered to herself and moved to a new target, Superman had already torn another three robots in half.

She started looking for a weak point...and she found one. On their backs was a large exhaust grate with slits large enough to fit a grenade inside. Silvia slung her HMG, bolted into the crowd of mechs and pulled two grenades out of her pouch. Twisting and evading each robot's deadly melee attacks, she vaulted over one and slipped an armed grenade into its exhaust port. Before its fuse blew, Silvia had already shoved one into another machine.

With only seconds to spare, she used all of her strength to thrust two other machines into the sabotaged ones, and dove for cover behind one of the totalled cars. Two explosions answered, which tore five machines into scrap. "Sweet! Hell yeah!" Silvia chirped, readying her HMG.

She slipped out of cover as the robots finally started firing on her instead of Superman. She returned flurries of bullets, weaving and working her way through the sprinkles of red energy. One caught her in the ribcage and sent her tumbling over, but she ignored the pain and kept moving.

She hit one in its lightly armoured chest several times, and was pleased to see that it was more effective than shooting its head. The unit sparked then failed, collapsing onto the pavement. Superman then used a pickup truck as a bludgeon, clearing out a large handful of the mechanical monsters. After that, only three others were left. Superman finished them off by crushing the cranium of one, melting one into slag and tearing the last one in half down the middle.

Silvia noticed several black burn marks on Superman's costume... She sighed "Well. That was fun."

Superman looked at Silvia, worried and doubtful, but since he was Superman, still optimistic. He flashed a weak, reassuring smile. "Are you alright?" He said.

"Yep. No problem. All good. Dandy. Had worse."

She watched as his eyes flashed down to where she was tagged by the mechs, then moved back up to her face. "You didn't have to do that."

Silvia cocked her head and rested her machine gun on her shoulder. "I did, actually."

There was a pause as Superman moved to the pieces of robot littered amongst the street. Kneeling, he inspected several pieces as Silvia watched him.

"Why do you do what you do?" He suddenly asked her, pulling to his feet. "Why...?"

Sighing, Silvia shook her head. "It works."

"I need you to stop. I know you're trying to do the right thing, but I can't let you." He crossed his arms, now looking less like he wanted to snap her in half like a pencil.

Silvia growled and slung her HMG onto her back as she snatched up her coat. After she slipped it back on, she spoke "...Would you stop doing what you do if someone thought it was wrong?"

Superman sighed heavily, looking to the ground. There was no answer because one wasn't needed. They both knew it.

"Exactly." Silvia pulled her mask further down as it had jolted into an awkward position during the fight. It had been pulling on her hair the whole time.

Superman stood himself up a little taller as he spoke"...Thank you. Please just..." He exhaled, trying to find the right words. "If you cross the line again, I'll come for you."

"Lovely." There was another pause. "So...is this a...free pass...thing? I get to go? Right?"

"Don't make me regret this."

"You will. Probably. Definitely." The girl replied, the faintest glimmer of a smirk visible only by the dimple that arose on her right cheek.

Silvia turned on her heel and sprinted in the opposite direction, knowing that this was of no use if Superman suddenly changed his mind. If that was the case he'd be in front of her so fast she wouldn't even have time to blink. Thankfully, she made it back to her apartment without that happening.

Fallen leaves littered the walkway, bathing it in dark red and orange, and she stepped on them with a satisfying crunch. The porch light was on, and the familiar yellow glow made the building feel as eerie as it always did. She made no sound on her way up the crumbling staircase, she couldn't say the same for the floorboards that insisted on squeaking whenever her weight shifted.

Her apartment was right at the of the hallway with a door that didn't lock properly and hinges that looked about ready to collapse. Silvia pushed open the frail door and stepped into the room with a large exhale. She lined a nearby chair up against the knob to at least try and keep people from walking straight into her home.

The blonde carefully put her machine gun back into a secure draw and threw her trench coat to the floor. This made little difference as her room was always in a messy state. Finally, she hunched over and brought a hand to her side with a gasped "Fuck."

The wound there burned and she already knew that getting undressed was going to be painful. It wasn't life threatening, nor would it require any medical treatment - but it still stung like a bitch.


	4. Four

**_Chapter Four: Mild-Mannered_**

Sunlight shined under the door like a ghoul's grin, yet gave the shutters a halo of golden rays. Waking was like a hammer swung with gusto toward a painted 'x' on Silvia's skull. Sleep dragged her backward until a new thought could penetrate - She had a new contract to discuss. The bed was warm, the air was cold, yet her legs extended outward into the chill.

Her feet grazed against the wooden floor and she found that it was, surprisingly, a lot warmer than she had been expecting. The girl's eyes lazily rolled open, glazed over with the remnants of a dream; one of the family that had been torn apart by a criminal no different to those she hunted down.

A groan rolled through her throat as she forced herself to stand. The burn near her ribcage was even more sore today than it was last night - like her mind had finally caught up with the pain.

Gently hovering her hand over the aching area, she shuffled toward her kitchen table. Silvia grabbed an apple from the bowl in the middle and plopped back down on the chair. Her free hand unfolded the Newspaper that sat on the wooden surface, the other bringing the apple to her mouth.

"The Reaper strikes again." She read in a small voice full of indifference, pearly teeth biting into the crust of the apple. The article was full of interviews regarding her other identity, some praising her and others shunning her. She was used to this by now, it seemed like every week there was a new article about the public's split opinions.

Silvia took another large bite from the fruit in her hand and turned the page. As expected, there were far too many articles about Superman. 'Man of Steel saves hundreds from plane crash'... 'Superman attends presidential celebration'... It was starting to feel like it was impossible to avoid him. Even there, in the security of her own home, he taunted her.

The girl leaned back and tossed the apple core across the room, getting it directly in the trash can with a quiet 'dink'. Silvia gave a sigh and, expression slacking to one of even greater boredom, she turned to the next page.

There in black and white filter was a photo of something all too familiar. A mech stood tall behind a bunch of people, and it looked exactly the same as the group of mechs that had attacked her the night before.

Silvia leapt forward, eyes widening at the page then scanning it for answers. None of the people looked familiar, but upon closer inspection she saw that they all wore the same shirt. Written on the breast pocket was the word 'Lexcorp'.

"Luthor." Silvia growled, stabbing her fingernail onto the Newspapers surface. A small rip formed beneath it and sunk through the robots head. Lex better hope that the Boy Scout doesn't read the paper.

There was little more excitement to be had staring at that page, and so it wasn't long before Silvia had thrown on any random clothes she found lying around the house and left. Attached to her thigh, as always, was a pistol. It was hidden beneath the fabric of her pants, yet still quickly accessible.

The alleyway was quaint and cobbled. The houses each side had walls that wobbled ever so slightly, but was apparent in the strong morning light. It winded a little, arcing to the right and the heady scent of mould drifted down from the many open windows. These were the slums of Metropolis - if the houses weren't falling apart then they were infested with insects.

Luckily, many of Silvia's clients lived in the higher end of town. If nothing else, it gave her an excuse to visit the richer part of society... Though anyone with a roof over their head that didn't leak when it rained seemed pretty well off to her.

Silvia always did tend to stand out in those neighbourhoods though. Her clothes were darker, tattier and cheaper - her mannerisms were rougher. The people that resided there would stare at her as she arrived and scoff when she left with pockets full of money. This time was no exception. One of the thugs she had killed the night before had a contract on his back, one made by an old widow whose husband had been shot dead outside their mansion. The elderly woman had been more than happy to pay Silvia to bring that murderer to justice.

This large portion of money could have fed her for at least a month while she looked for a new target, and paid her rent... but instead she had to spend it replacing the guns that damned Superman destroyed.

As she was leaving a nearby pastry shop, two pies stuffed into a thin paper bag, she could have sworn that someone was watching her. In fact, Silvia had felt this way for a large part of her day. It wasn't the stare of a man looking to her as a woman, but of being followed as a criminal. She shook this feeling off for the moment, eager to dig into the pies once she got to the bus stop.

The sidewalk was packed as usual for this part of the city, and Silvia found herself trapped in the flow of human bodies. She hated this... Southside never had this many people on the street at once. As she simply drifted along the current, she noticed that up ahead was a homeless man; he sat on the floor and leant up against the brick wall of an alleyway that opened up onto this path.

Silvia's breath hitched when she noticed that he had a dog curled up on his lap, motionless as it stared blinking at the passing crowd. Her eyes flashed back down to her food. Silvia knew what it was like to live poor in a city full of richer people, and she learnt that you can't make it without help. With a sigh, she ducked out of the human river into the alley, catching the attention of the man. He was young...probably around Silvia's age. Without a word, she handed the two pies to the man, who simply didn't understand what was happening.

"For you and your handsome friend." She said quietly to the man, eyes flicking to the dog once more.

He hesitantly reached out for the white paper bag, and gently plucked it from Silvia's hand. "Th-Thank you. Thank you so much." He muttered weakly.

Silvia smiled faintly, then slipped back into the bustling human traffic. She seemed to regret her decision once she arrived at the bus stop and felt the soft rumbling of her stomach. The bench was empty apart from Silvia, who stared grumpily down the street. Those pies had smelt so good...

"Uh excuse me, miss." She heard someone say in the distance. Silvia continued looking out for the bus, wanting nothing more than to get home. "Miss? Uh...e-excuse me." She felt a soft poke on her shoulder.

She sighed. Silvia slowly turned her head, rolling her eyes in the process. Towering over her as she sat on the bench was some loser. He was wearing a cleanly pressed, grey suit, had a briefcase in one hand and a pair of rectangular glasses on his face. "Hi. Um, my name is Clark Kent. I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet."

Silvia replied, sounding disinterested. "Oh. The tv show? The...Canadian one?"

Kent stared back at her, puzzled, for several seconds. "O-Oh no, no, sorry. The, uh, Metropolis newspaper."

Silvia glanced away, looking straight forward at the row of buildings across the street. "Oh. Okay."

Don't sit down, don't sit down, Silvia thought to herself but the oaf did so anyway and she could feel a growl of irritation form in her throat.

"I couldn't help but notice, Miss, that you're at the five twenty stop; you're going to Southside?" He questioned curiously.

"Yep. Suicide Slum." Silvia replied quoting Southside's notorious nickname, not looking back at the man.

Kent opened his case and removed a notepad and a pen. "Ah yes. Well I'm currently working on a piece that... Nevermind, I'd just like to ask you a few questions for a uh... citizen spotlight feature."

The outrageous proposition was enough to make Silvia turn her head to stare back at the awkward reporter. "You want to interview me?"

"Ah. Well...yes. Yes miss. I-If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"It is." Silvia stated bluntly, eyes narrowing darkly at the man. "Go find someone else to bother, I'm not interested."

The man didn't seem to have heard her, and if he did, he had chosen to completely ignore her harsh tone. "It will only take a few minutes. We'll be done before the bus arrives."

"Well a few minutes is too long, bud." Silvia retorted with a condescending glare.

Clark, yet again, brushed her off. He flashed her a charming smile that seemed to shrink under his own awkwardness. His eyes crinkled at the edges and prominent laugh lines appeared on either side of his lips. "Ha, that was good. That was a good one, Miss..." He drifted off, very obviously asking for her name.

Silvia finally gripped the fact that this nut was too stupid to realise what she was saying...so she reluctantly decided to humour him. "Silvia. Silvia Stone."

Clark swiftly glanced down to his notepad and scribbled the name on the top corner. He glanced back up with a grateful grin. "Nice to meet you, Miss Stone."

Silvia looked at the man's now confident smile then she suddenly scoffed, straightened up in her seat and said "You gonna start yet?"

"O-Oh, yes. Of course." Clark stammered, fumbling with his notepad and his pen slipping from between his fingers. It landed on the ground with a quiet 'tink' and her teeth gritted together at the sight.

Silvia bent over, fingers reaching outward until they brushed against the pen.

"Thank you, Miss Sto-" He started to say, extending a hand out to retrieve the utensil.

Silvia stared at his hand then back up at him, eyebrow raising and a smirk lingering on her lips. She brought the pen up to eye level, and in one small flick, she snapped it in half.

In the distance Silvia could hear the screeching of bus tires against the many potholes that scattered around Metropolis. The girl jumped back to her feet, turning around only long enough to tuck the two ends of the pen into Clark's shirt pocket.

"Have a good day," Silvia started with a smug expression but it quickly fell when she realized that she couldn't remember the man's name. She glanced to the press pass on his suit, squinting at it and muttering "Kent Clark."

The man let out a forced chuckle, smile never wavering despite how rude Silvia was. "Oh uh haha...close. It's--"

"I don't care." She steamed just as the bus was pulling up beside her.

The doors to the vehicle opened, squeaking with the struggle it took. It was an older model with worse suspension than a homemade bike. The government refused to send the new ones to Southside after the large amount that came back vandalized. The girl quickly jumped on board, more eager than ever to escape the awkward interaction.

The reporter stood up and gave a wave that Silvia pretended not to see. "Um. I-I guess I'll uh see you later."

Silvia groaned in frustration. "Please don't. Get lost pal."

The girl didn't stay long enough to hear his reply. She passed the bus driver the exact amount of change for her ticket and hurried to the back seat. Every passengers eyes were bleary, reactions slow, tiredness running in their veins just the same as their blood. It took forever, it seemed, for the old diesel engine to roar back to life and pass the bus stop. The reporter had still been standing there waving, and when her window passed him, she sunk lower in her seat.

This week just kept getting worse.


	5. Five

**_Chapter Five: Journalistic Integrity_**

The next few days were spent lazying around at home. After her recent run in with the law, Silvia thought it best to keep a low profile at least for a little while. Her apartment was littered with wrappers and empty pizza boxes, and there was a small indent in the couch from where she had been lying for much too long. Unfortunately, she ran out of food quickly and was forced to leave the house in less than a week. The blonde got changed and shuffled out the door with a looming disinterest.

The streets were as cracked and littered as always, the smell of gun smoke clinging to the pavement like the scar to a deep wound. People walked by in large trench coats, concealing their weapons and pockets full of drugs. It was always the same in Southside - a bastion of crime.

Central Metropolis sat clustered on an incline. Once the smells of this particular section of the city were alien to her, and their chaotic fragrance set her on edge. There was no metallic bite of blood lingering in the air, no fragrance of burnt wood from building debris or the constant heady warning that rain was due. The fumes from belching vehicles underpinned everything, hiding the violent scents she was so use to.

The crowds were heavy that day. Silvia found herself wedged in the middle of a few particularly thick groups of workers as she visited the shops; as soon as she exited one group she'd enter another.

Eventually, Silvia had plastic bags hanging off of each arm and they twisted against her skin whenever she moved. Her enhanced durability meant that it wasn't as painful as it should have been, but she could still feel it.

Silvia adjusted her grip on the bags, avoiding swinging them into the people around her as best she could. It was difficult in such a compact area but she somehow managed it. Her blue eyes flicked upward towards another oncoming group of people, instantly regretting it when she saw a familiar face through the chaos.

Clark Kent towered over everyone else, it was difficult to miss him when he was approaching. Despite this, the people around him didn't seem to notice. It was like he was invisible to them, and honestly Silvia could see why. He was a complete loser. Unless he was talking your ear off about an interview she doubted anyone would know he was there.

Silvia, however, did know. She was overly aware of his presence because she dreaded having to speak to him again. The moment his eyes locked with hers she had ducked into the closest building she could find, which happened to be a coin operated laundromat.

The loud noise of tumbling clothes inside of washing machines filled the air, only drowned out by the roar of dryers on the opposite end of the room. There were very few people within, only two middle-aged women were waiting in the provided seats and the remaining four were folding their newly washed clothes.

The blonde girl dropped her bags on a few empty chairs with a large sigh. She arched her back until she felt it crack, then stretched her arms above her head until they did the same. A satisfying relief washed over her that was quickly erased when she heard the laundromat's door open.

_Please, don't be him_. _Have mercy on me_. Silvia thought bitterly, but she had never been that lucky. From across the room she could hear heavy footsteps pounding against the tiled floor. Each step was clumsily placed and had absolutely no rhythm to it.

"Miss Stone." Clark's voice finally reached her ears and she cringed at the sound. "What are you doing in the laundromat with no washing?"

Silvia sighed in defeat, turning her sharp gaze toward the man. "I came in here to avoid you." She said bluntly.

The tall reporter gave a chuckle, one that made Silvia wonder about his sanity. "Heh, th-thats a good one Miss Stone."

Silvia crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "Look pal...get lost. I'm not in the mood."

"You...agreed to an interview."

"The hell I did!" Silvia growled, eyes flicking rapidly around the room. They stopped on one of the women waiting for her clothes to dry. "There. She looks bored, why don't you interview her instead?"

"Well, uh, you see...um... I've already sent the first segment to my editor and he uh...he doesn't like to..." The awkward man broke off for several seconds before snapping back into reality. "Um, the point, Miss, is that you're stuck with me." Clark took out his notepad and a brand new pen, both from his briefcase. The ink inside this pen had an obsidian sheen to it unlike the royal blue one Silvia had destroyed. Clark lowered himself into an empty seat, one that seemed much too small for him, as he asked "C-Can you describe life in Metropolis with one word?"

The blonde rolled her eyes and began picking up her bags once more. She heaved the last few onto her arms and glared at the reporter. "Pfft. I dunno. It fucking sucks? We done yet?"

Clark counted with his fingers then opened his mouth to speak but Silvia didn't stick around long enough to hear what he had to say. She trudged out of the building with those bags swinging on either side.

Mere seconds after she had started walking back through the crowds she heard Clark's timid voice behind her. "L-Let me help you with those."

Silvia felt Clark's large hand reach for a few of the bags but she quickly nudged him off before he could take them. She finally bursted out in irritation. "Can you take a hint, dumbass?! I'll snap you in half if you try to lay another hand on me!"

Clark's weak and pathetic face seemed to crack for a second and Silvia saw a flash of...amusement in his eyes. "Fuck. Off." She said to him.

"I-I don't think that language is appropriate for--"

Clark was interrupted when a rather thuggish looking pair of people veered into him on their way around the laundromat. His briefcase was knocked from his hand, smashed its locks on the tiled floor, and spilled its contents all over.

Silvia swallowed. She stood there staring at him for several seconds then dropped her bags. She actually started to feel a little bad for the reporter. Too proud to utter a single word to anyone, Silvia knelt and scooped up all of the papers, notepads, paper clips, folders and other crap that was littered across the ground.

"Please, Miss Stone it's alright." Clark appeared beside her, finishing the job before she could.

Silvia muttered "You're making me look like a moron, Kent." under her breath. She then pulled to her feet, glancing around the pavement for the two men. "Fucking assholes."

Clark, refastening his briefcase, joined her. "Takes one to know one...r-right?" He quipped awkwardly, jabbing his elbow into Silvia's arm.

Silvia stared back at him, dumbstruck. The two of them fell into silence, even the roar of the city wasn't loud enough to eliminate the awkwardness. _Since when did he have a sense of humour?_

She felt the edges of her mouth break into a slight smile, a laugh rising in her throat that she quickly forced back down. Silvia huffed, though it came out uneven at the effort it took to hold down a chuckle. "Take my bags, Kent. If you're lucky I'll answer some of your stupid questions."

Clark flashed her a bright smile, revealing his perfectly aligned teeth and deepening laugh lines. He bent down and picked up the shopping in one motion. The reporter gave a heavy exhale. "M-Must have been hard lugging these around all day." Though he insinuated that the bags were heavy, he didn't even break a sweat.

Silvia rolled her eyes and turned on her heel. "Hurry up, before I change my mind."

Clark followed her through the large groups of people, each step the equivalent of three compared to Silvia. This resulted in her having to almost jog to stay ahead of the tall man, whilst he seemed to be walking as slowly as he possibly could without it becoming too obvious.

When they made it to the bus stop the transportation was already there. Both of them had to quicken their pace to reach it before the bus left. However, when they got on board it became obvious that Clark could barely fit through the walkway between the seats by himself, let alone with arms full of shopping bags.

Silvia motioned towards the front seat and Clark gave a grateful grin before sitting there with the multiple bags. Thankfully, there was no more room for Silvia so she sat a few rows behind him, grateful to have at least a few minutes of quiet. She stared out the window, watching the surroundings change the further they drove. The large buildings with plentiful windows turned into burnt down houses and smashed glass. Every now and then Clark would look over his shoulder at Silvia, brow furrowed like so many others when they saw how horrid Southside was.

When the bus skidded to a halt, everyone inside was forced forward. Silvia bumped her head against the seat in front of her with a loud groan. Suspiciously enough Clark didn't budge. Silvia was used to it and she still always ended up hitting her forehead... The blonde shrugged, assuming that his massive size gave him more stability despite him being even clumsier than she was.

Exiting the vehicle was as difficult as it was entering, at least for Clark. Once they were outside though the familiar smell of smoke and blood filled Silvia's senses. Clark's nose scrunched up, eyes narrowing behind his rectangular glasses.

"What's the matter, loser? Never been to the slums before?" Silvia asked mockingly.

"I-I'm a reporter, of course I've been here before." Clark's shoulders tensed at the sudden alarm that pierced the air. Two men ran right passed them, trying to escape the sound. It looked like they had intended to rob someone's house but were startled by the security system. It was rare that anyone in Southside had one. "Doesn't mean I have to like it..."

Silvia thought to chase after them but, technically speaking, they hadn't done anything wrong. She made a mental note to keep a close eye on them. "Let's go." She said, not seeming too surprised at witnessing a crime.

Clark's gaze stayed fixed on her as they started down a particularly narrow alleyway. The path was completely deserted, as expected. It was never safe being outside in the slums, especially not so late in the evening.

After they had passed quite a few abandoned buildings her apartment came into view. An old, rickety building that looked like it could fall apart at any moment. Clark's jaw tensed at the sight. "I couldn't imagine living there." He said lowly.

"Are you insulting my home?" Silvia spoke, smirk hidden behind golden locks.

Clark's gaze flicked over to her apologetically, voice stammering when he tried to speak. "Th-That's your... I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it. Not all of us can get paid for annoying people." Silvia stepped up to the doors and took the shopping bags from Clark's arms. "It's even worse inside, but if you want those idiotic questions answered then you're free to come in."

"I'd love to, Miss-" Clark froze, mouth tightening into a thin line. His forehead wrinkled and his pupils dilated beneath his glasses. "Actually, um... Is it alright if we do this another time?" He suddenly said, voice forced to be calm but she could tell he was in a hurry. This was made even more obvious by the fact that he had started jogging away before she could even give her answer. The man waved, hair jolting with each step that he took before disappearing around the corner.

Silvia blinked, still trying to register how quickly the man had changed his mind. The girl pursed her lips, and with a particularly exasperated sigh, she marched inside of the apartment building. She had finally decided to give the guy a break despite his apparent lack of concern for her personal space, and then he decided to delay it even longer. Silvia had hoped that doing the damn interview would get him to leave her alone, but now even that would have to wait.

Silvia tossed her shopping onto the floor with a growl. That man was probably the most irritating person she had ever met, perhaps even more so than that Boy Scout Superman.


	6. Six

**_Chapter Six: Crime Fighting for Dummies_**

She wore a greenish-blue gown made of soft, satiny fabric; long and loose. A semicircular, high collar made of silk-like materials headed the ankle-length robe. She walked as lightly as an acrobat. A puff of wind swept through her blonde hair, forcing a few thin strands out of her tight bun.

Silvia pushed down on the light fabric of her dress and waited for the breeze to stop thrashing against her skin before she let go. Dresses... She could never quite describe her hatred for them, on windy days in particular. It felt necessary tonight though. She was heading to 'Ace o' Clubs', a fairly popular bar in Suicide Slum. One of her contracts, Arnold Wesker (The Ventriloquist), was performing there.

After so many days of avoiding both the police and criminals, Silvia was relieved to finally be getting back into action. There were too many prisoners on the loose for her liking.

The bar was filled with multiple conversations told at once when she entered, all of them competing with the loud rock music that dominated the atmosphere. The strong smell of alcohol filled her senses, followed closely by blood from one of the many bar fights.

On the stage to her left was exactly the person she was looking for. He was an older man with grey hair spiking out of either side of his head, but a large bald spot cutting through the middle. Secured on the bridge of his nose was a pair of circular glasses that obscured his eyes from any long distance, and on his lap sat a puppet with a cigar in its mouth.

Silvia's gaze stayed fixed on him as she took a seat right at the back of the pub. Silvia clicked the safety off on her silenced pistol, which sat concealed in a holster on her thigh. She decided to be patient... So she simply watched Wesker nervously adjust his chair and wait for the song to finish. She knew this was going to be absolutely terrible...

The place was filled with numerous thugs and generally unpleasant looking people. A group of them were laughing at the awkward man on the stage.Before too long, the song came to a close, and Wesker tapped on this microphone. "U-Um hello is this on?"

A gravelly voice answered as his puppet's mouth began moving "Of course it is, dumbass. Can't you hear your own stupid, annoying voice?" There was a considerable reaction from the crowd as Wesker started to sweat and the puppet continued to speak. "I'm Scarface. Don't worry about this guy. He just likes to follow me around and stick his hand up my anus."

Silvia stared wide-eyed at Wesker as people began to laugh. She couldn't believe that people found this funny... Wesker stammered "S-Scarface, do you really want to use that k-kind of language?"

Scarface looked up at Wesker, slapped him in the face and replied "I do whatever the fuck I want, butt hand man."

Silvia rolled her eyes as the next wave of laughter came in. She needed a drink. Before she could get to her feet, she felt...something. She looked towards the door, and there was a familiar man moving to walk across the room but slowing down after he saw her. "Miss Stone?"

Silvia's stomach dropped.

"C-Clark?" She gasped. She was so taken aback by how someone like him could even walk around town this late at night let alone come into a bar like the Ace.

His gleaming smile didn't falter, even as the grumpy faces of the other patrons traced him over to Silvia. "What are you doing here?" He asked, much too loudly.

"Shh!! Shut up!" Silvia whispered.

Being a stand-up comedian, Scarface...or Wesker, more so, took the opportunity. Scarface called "Yeah buddy, shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down, alright? You come in late, you make all these dumbasses look away, who do you think you are, Clint Eastwood?"

Clark nervously smiled as he sat down next to Silvia. "Heh...f-funny. Nice." He muttered.His attention turned back to Silvia. "Wow you look...very nice tonight." Clark said.

Silvia would've found the time to accuse him of lying if he hadn't just jeopardized her whole operation. "What are you doing here?"

"I come here quite often."

Silvia's expression scrunched up and her brow furrowed. "You do? This doesn't really look like your scene..."

Clark said, teeth gleaming under the dimmed lights. "People talk a lot when they're intoxicated. Pubs like this are good places to uh...learn things."

Silvia gave a heavy exhale, jaw clenching in frustration. "Alright, whatever. Just keep quiet."

She slumped in her chair, hoping to become less noticeable. This seemed like a waste of time though, she may have been near invisible before, but now with a giant bespectacled reporter beside her it was unlikely that she'd be able to avoid being seen.

Silvia noticed a break in Scarface's joking. A silence washed over the pub. "Wait a sec...that broad. She looks familiar." Scarface said.

Everyone turned in their chairs to look at her and the bewildered Clark. "Um...Miss...?" Clark whispered.

Scarface's eyes narrowed as Wesker shook in his boots. "N-No surely this is just a--"

"Quiet, pipsqueak!!" Scarface roared. He took to looking back at Silvia. "Oh yeah...ohhh yeah. I know you. You're that crazy bitch who's been popping our people all over town."

Clark slowly raised a hand and spoke somewhat defiantly and protectively. "U-Uh sir, if you'd stop with the puppet, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding."

Scarface's lifeless face began to move once more. "Nobody asked for your opinion, Four Eyes. That's her, alright. That's the Reaper."

"The who?" Silvia said with a nervous chuckle. "I think you've got me confused with-"

"I know that face." Scarface growled. "If you get out of jail you should at least change your appearance, you dumb bitch!"

People within the pub began to snap to their feet with glares. Silvia groaned, sitting straight in her seat once more and motioning to Clark. "Get down." She said quietly.

"Wh-What?" Clark questioned, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Why?"

"Just fucking do it!" Silvia hissed, and within seconds she had dived under the table and whipped out her pistol. She tugged on Clark's hand but the man refused to move. It wasn't until a bullet went flying passed his head did he jump out of his seat and sprint out of the bar.

Typically, someone would have been enraged at being left alone in the middle of gunfire, but Silvia was beyond relieved that the dorky giant had finally left. Once he was out of sight Silvia peeked over the table and begun shooting.

Each bullet that she shot was shrouded by the silencer, not making a single sound when it shot through the barrel and into the air. The others, however, had large rifles that deafened anyone within range. A shot darted right passed her head and Silvia ducked back down with a yell of "Fuck!"

She had thought that this would be a quick job. One done in the stillness of shadows and resulted in her leaving without having to fire more than two rounds. She was starting to regret not coming prepared with heavier weapons.

This only escalated because that dope Clark had broken her cover... If she ever got out of here she was going to kill him.

Silvia could feel the pressure of bullets pounding against the table. She took a large inhale, appeared from beneath the metal surface and aimed - straight at The Ventriloquist.

Her finger itched against the trigger but when she pressed down her finger grazed her palm instead. She looked down in surprise. Her weapon was gone... and so were the ones the thugs had been shooting at her. A very familiar cape appeared in front of Silvia...red with a yellow S slapped on the centre. Superman stood in front of her, hands on his hips. "I thought I made myself clear last time." He stated sternly to the bar patrons.

Silvia immediately scoured the room with her eyes for Wesker but he was gone...and it was all Kent's fault. One of the thugs charged at Superman, and another yelled "Hey, no! What're you doing?!"

He threw a punch at the Man of Steel, who did nothing but smile back as the fist slammed fruitlessly into his jaw. There was an audible crack as the punk screamed and grasped his now broken hand. "You must be new here." Superman quipped. He turned over his shoulder and looked at Silvia "I was hoping not to run into you again for a while."

"Yeah...same." She replied with an apparent growl in her tone. That man was always in the exact place she didn't want him.

Superman's deep blue eyes flicked back to the criminals scattered about the bar, most of which had already ran out the door. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

They shook their heads vigorously, the only one unable to comment being the one still writhing in pain on the floor. Superman held up his hand that clutched the straps of at least ten guns. "I'll be relieving you of these for the time being."

None of them looked like they had any intention of arguing with him, but when he turned and showed the pistol grasped in his other hand Silvia's expression darkened. "You've already destroyed two of my guns, you're not taking that one! Those things are expensive."

The large man raised an eyebrow at her. "I could always take you back to Stryker's."

Silvia grumbled under her breath but decided not to feud with him, knowing very well that he wouldn't hesitate to lock her back up. She did, however, make a mental note to send the man a bill if she ever figured out where he hung his cape. She certainly couldn't afford to replace all of the weapons he had taken from her, especially not if he kept interrupting her before she could complete a contract.

"I duck out for one second...and you idiots shoot up my bar. Again. I ain't paying for that damage." Came the rather booming voice of Bibbo from behind the counter. He was a longshoreman and former boxer; well-meaning but not too bright. He had brought the bar with a winning lottery ticket not long ago in the hopes of helping the people living in the slums. "Thanks Supes." He said with a bright grin of admiration.

Superman walked over to him, placing a large palm on his shoulder and flashing him a bright smile. "I'll write you a check, pal."

Silvia rolled her eyes. "Fucking prude." She breathed, glaring darts at Superman.

The remaining thugs had made their way to the doors, apparently having the same dislike for the Man of Steel as she did. At the sight she decided to take her leave as well. The Ventriloquist was no longer there so she had no reason to stay. Nor did she have any desire to remain in the same building as Superman.

With very little delay, Silvia walked to the front door, patting off the layers of dust that now covered her dress. Superman had obviously noticed her leaving but made no effort to stop her. She hadn't killed anyone this time... At least not yet; So locking her up wasn't necessary.

It didn't seem like she'd get the chance to either. Wherever she went he somehow appeared. It was like he had nothing better to do with his time than disrupt her every plan.


	7. Seven

**_Chapter Seven: On the Record_**

Home was supposed to be a haven. It wasn't a place you should be scared to be at. It wasn't somewhere you would think of running from all the time. But Silvia preferred the streets. It felt safer than home. Out there she was always prepared, forever cautious of the dangers that may present themselves...but at home she felt tempted to relax. Letting her guard down for even one second could end badly, especially in Southside where break-ins were the least of her worries.

Silvia slumped down in the living room couch, one of her last remaining guns clasped at her side. The couch, though once might have been beautifully designed, was worn past the point of distress with small tears and holes. The once bright tan colour had been bleached by the sun that streamed in the window, the hue now tinted to a soft beige.

It was, in all honesty, the most uncomfortable thing she had ever had the miserable misfortune of owning, but it had been free so she could hardly complain about it. The urge was there though after spending the last few days laying on its lumpy cushions.

It seemed that she was taking quite a number of breaks lately, and most of it was because of Superman. She couldn't even breath without him rushing in and ruining her contracts. Silvia's determination still hadn't wavered but she hoped that planning her marks a little more carefully would get her back on track...and help her avoid Superman.

The last assassination attempt was burned into her skull. It had gone horribly wrong, and though she blamed Clark for that, she worried that he had been hurt. Silvia hated the idea of innocent people being in the middle of her fights, even if that person was the most agitating person she had ever met.

The thought never left her no matter how many nights passed. Eventually it got to the point where she was considering hacking into government files and finding out where he lived, just so she could go over and check on him. Silvia shook the idea out of her head, even _she_ had a line that she wasn't willing to cross.

The blonde had just found a position on the firm couch that seemed almost tolerable before a knock echoed through her apartment. The girl's gasp of surprise quickly turned into a groan at the knowledge that she'd have to get up. Who could possibly be visiting her at that hour- no, at any hour? She didn't know anyone well enough to expect visitors, and she got her packages sent elsewhere.

Silvia pulled to her feet, holding the gun to her chest and sauntering towards the door. She had no peephole but she did have a crack, one large enough to show the shadow of a man on the other side. Silvia's jaw tensed.

Silvia pushed the chair away from its place holding the door shut. The hinges were still broken and grey as unburnished silver, dull and spotted with years of water damage. Where there should have been some fancy handle was only a square shaft of dark cold metal. She closed her fingers around it but they simply slipped over the coarse edges and came away blackened. Silvia cursed at the slick doorknob and opted to just pulling it open by the corner. The door never closed properly anyway...

As the barrier swung open the visitor's sheer size became apparent. He was at least a foot and a half taller than Silvia, and twenty times as broad. He attempted to hide this bulk beneath a thick suit, but nothing could obscure it completely.

Silvia's gaze trailed upward, grip on her gun tightening until she found his face. Glasses were slapped over his eyes like an afterthought and his dark hair was forced back, unnatural for such an unruly head of curls.

"Clark..." Silvia breathed, not sure whether to be surprised or annoyed.

"H-Hey, Miss Stone." He said nervously. "What are you doing with a gun?"

Silvia blinked at him in confusion, fingers curling around the cool metal in her palm. Wait... metal? Shit. Silvia jumped at the same time her racing heart did, quickly pushing the weapon behind her back with an anxious chuckle. "U-Uh, it's nothing..." She stammered, mind reeling to find an excuse. "It's the slums, ya know? You need a gun if you're gonna live here..."

Clark, being the trusting doofus that he was, gave a nod of understanding. His lips stretched into a smile and, despite his height, he slumped to make himself look smaller. "Th-That makes sense, this isn't the best neighborhood... Uhh... speaking of which, why did you choose here of all places to live?"

"It wasn't a choice." Silvia sighed, obviously not wanting to discuss it. She shifted her weight onto her right leg and tapped her fingers against the door. "Look, is there a reason you're here?"

"O-Oh, I was just here for that interview you promised me." Clark said with a small smile. "And... uh... I wanted to ask if you're alright."

Silvia's shoulders slumped. "You mean... about that night at the bar? I'm fine, they just mistook me for someone else. It happens all the time."

"You have p-people shooting at you that often?"

"N-No... Well, I mean..." Silvia stuttered, biting her lip to cease confessing something she'd regret. "As I said, it's Southside, someone's always being shot at... I th-think it might be best if you just... forget it happened."

"That just makes me worry more." Clark hesitated, then breathed a heavy sigh. "But if it'll make you feel better I'll try not to mention it again."

Silvia's fingertips halted their rhythm, instead pausing against the broken door. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise then fell to the floor with a muttered "Thanks... I guess."

The silence that followed put Silvia on edge, it was about as normal as deserted streets during rush-hour. Even the loud couple down the hall refused to engage in their usual squabble. Every breath was suddenly ten times louder, and every scent stronger. For the first time since she'd met him, Silvia noticed that Clark wasn't cloaked in heavy cologne like most men she met in passing. Usually she would have the smell stuck in her nose for days, but his scent was subtle...and refreshing.

"So..." Clark finally spoke through the quiet. "How about that interview, Miss Stone?"

Silvia crossed her arms over her chest. "You never give up, do you?"

"That's what I've heard." His lips finally stretched into a full grin. Silvia actually felt somewhat relieved at this. It convinced her that he wasn't injured. "So, may I?"

The blonde huffed but it didn't take her long to step aside and motion for him to enter her small apartment. "I suppose I owe you that much."

The moment Clark stepped into the room his blue eyes darted about at his surroundings, taking in the new environment. She could tell that he was a little surprised by the sheer state of her home. Honestly, she couldn't blame him.

Sections of ceiling hung limp in the stagnant air. Fragments of plaster laid damp over a moulding floor, their only purpose to soak in the seasonal rain that leaked through the roof. Cold water seeped through the window frames, rotten and blistered, to nurse the mildew and rise up the wallpaper that peeled. The cupboards were a time-warp of long forgotten brands that barely lived on even in the memories of the elderly. All around were the remnants of a life lived but hastily discarded. No pictures, no drawings, no memories.

The only thing that seemed of any importance was a small vile that had been framed with the name 'Reginald' written messily on the bottom in black ink.

"What's this?" Clark asked, though something in his eyes told her that he wasn't exactly clueless on the matter.

"Just an...old friend." Silvia said lowly, trying to suppress the sorrow that threatened to leak into her tone. "Is that what you came here to ask me?"

For a split second she could have sworn that Clark's nose wrinkled and his eyes narrowed in distaste. This didn't remain long enough for her to be certain though. Soon after, he was fumbling with his brief case and pulling out his notepad and pen. "S-Sorry, Miss... I'll start then."

Silvia rolled her eyes and directed toward the free spot beside her, which Clark gladly took. He fidgeted slightly in an attempt to get comfortable but after a few seconds he gave up entirely, apparently realizing that it was impossible on such a bony couch. His eyes darted up to Silvia beneath his thick lenses, clearing his throat and clutching his notepad in front of him. "What is your opinion on the bat vigilante in Gotham?"

"Pfft. It's not in my neck of the woods, so I couldn't care less what he fucking does." She answered a little too honestly.

Clark's lips pursed and he scribbled something down that didn't look at all like how she had answered. "Then what about the heroes closer to home? What about Superman?"

"Superman..." Silvia spat out the word like it as poisonous. "He's a pain in my ass."

Clark stared at her for a moment, brow furrowing. "But, he's only trying to help people, isn't he?"

"He's not helping me." Silvia stated bluntly.

The reporter gulped, adams apple jumping beneath his thick neck. His jaw tensed and sharpened, Silvia only now noticing how defined it was. "So, living among these Metahumans makes you uncomfortable?"

"Of course not! They have the right intentions, most of them are just bloody idiots." She leaned back against the broken spine of the couch. "I don't believe in criminalizing someone until they've actually done something wrong. Having power doesn't make you an enemy."

Clark actually appeared somewhat surprised by her answer, or perhaps how sensibly she had said it. He quickly wrote it down as if he were afraid he'd forget it.

"They're still idiots though." Silvia added, face reddening at the prospect of actually sounding serious. "And Superman's still an ass."

The reporter's mouth twitched upward, threatening a smile though Silvia had no idea why. "Thank you, Miss Stone. I'll write this up tonight. I may have a few additional questions for you later on though, if you're willing."

"I'm starting to think you're just looking for excuses to meet with me." Silvia teased.

"Now that would be very unprofessional of me, wouldn't it?" Clark smirked, adjusting his glasses and standing up. He tucked his utensils back into his briefcase and headed back towards the door.

Silvia felt her eyebrows curve inward and her forehead wrinkling in bewilderment. He hadn't denied it but she couldn't understand his reasoning. The reporter certainly didn't look at her the way other men would, and he didn't seem the least bit interested in her romantically or physically. This only confused her further because she already knew that the interview really wasn't the main point of his visits.

"I'll consider it..." Silvia answered more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Well, I'll just take that as a yes." Clark said with a grin. "I'll meet you at the Leive Cafe next Monday at twelve o'clock."

"And if I'm not there?" She quickly replied as Clark was exiting her apartment.

"Then I, uh... guess I'll just have to come find you again." The man laughed light-heartedly and shut the door behind him.

Silvia could hear him descending the stairs at a sedate pace, her door refusing to shut properly only making the sound more noticeable with no barrier to obscure it. Silvia squinted at the frame as she pushed the chair back against the door, blood beginning to boil through her veins. She had almost forgotten how annoying that man was.


	8. Eight

**_Chapter Eight: Hot-Headed_**

Heat rained down on Silvia like the breath of hell. The scorched pavement shimmered in the intense white rays of the sun. Her hair was pushed back in a high ponytail with the hope to cool herself down but it only made her neck drop with warm sweat. The arid heat burned at her lungs and every step felt like one hundred.

Metropolis was usually a hot place, much to Silvia's dismay, but the last few days had been surprisingly cold. It only made the sudden heat wave more intolerable. It was days like this that she wished to live in Gotham, a place always drenched in cold rain.

At the very least, she would have liked to stay indoors with a wet towel on her forehead but today was Monday... and she somehow felt obligated to meet with Clark. She was the reason that he had gotten shot at after all.

Silvia slipped into the oncoming crowd, familiar anonymity putting her at ease. She much preferred the shadows and the crowds with a thousand faces that looked just like hers. Walking alone was always a much bigger risk.

Finally, Silvia spotted the tiny café huddled despondent among the huge city buildings. At this time of day it's lights shone bright orange and the building hunched in on itself, fighting against the heat. Hundreds of people rushed by it on the crowded street, very few taking notice of it.

Silvia broke away from the group and took a few more lingering steps towards the cafe. From across the street, she could see Clark in the window. His head was down and his eyes were scanning over a newspaper, his free hand stirred a cup of coffee in front of him. From here, without his constant talking and stuttering, she saw how sharp his profile was. With his mouth shut he was actually fairly attractive.

Silvia shook the ridiculous thought out of her head. Him being slightly decent looking didn't take away from the fact that he was a complete scatterbrain. The blonde sighed and glanced at either side of the road for any traffic. However, as soon as it looked safe enough to cross she heard a loud whimper from not far behind her.

Silvia instinctively turned, narrowing her eyes at the dark alleyway. From inside she could hear muffled cries and groans of pain. Anyone close enough to hear it just kept walking...and sadly, this came as no surprise to her.

Glancing once more at the small cafe, making sure that she had not yet been noticed by Clark, Silvia dashed in the opposite direction. The alleyway was darkness and the sour relics of a hundred take-away meals. As she walked between the walls that were too high for her to bother seeking the bright blue sky, she kicked the garbage scattered on the path with each stride.

It was curious that even on the sunniest of days an alley remained in blackness. This time she was grateful for it though, for with this lack of light came a welcome chill. It dried the sweat that glistened on her face and rejuvenated her tired muscles just before she reached the source of the sound.

On the ground, pressed up against the cracked bricks of an old nightclub, was a man with duct tape over his mouth and his hands tied with sturdy rope. Anger swelled in Silvia's stomach, eyes flicking to the man standing over him and memorizing his every detail. The stranger was slim and dark, with a slight mustache which curled upward at the ends. He had coal-black eyes, restless and piercing. His hands were small and slim, almost feminine. Silvia knew from a single look that he wasn't used to doing the dirty work and would be no challenge for her.

His boot dug into the victim's leg with a loud crack. A sound of agony tore from his throat, muffled by the tape.

"Hey, asshole!" Silvia growled.

The man's head snapped in her direction, a smirk twitching on his lips. "Get lost, lady. If you know what's good for you." The man didn't even look at her for long enough to see if she obeyed him or not. He just turned back towards his victim as if he automatically expected her to disappear.

Silvia sauntered forward, eyes darkening. "Let him go, you fucking parasite." She hissed, each step echoing through the narrow path. "Let him go and fuck off right now."

When he turned to face her once more his eyes were narrowed, rigid, cold, hard. All amusement had evaporated from them and left each dark void with nothing but a burning anger. "Seriously lady... Beat it."

"You heard me, you piece of shit."

The man moved. Silvia jerked back. The blow meant for her jaw whizzed passed her in a blur of knuckles. From the corner of her eye, she saw her opponent's other arm begin an upward trajectory. She ducked this time, and felt her hair ruffle with the force of it. The moment she stood back up straight she whacked her right fist right into the man's nose; it shifted on his face with a crunching noise.

He fell to the dirt, wailing and swearing. "Crazy bitch!" He spat, hands clutching over his bleeding nose.

Silvia smirked, storming over to him and grabbing the scruff of his shirt. "You could've walked away, man. Glad you didn't though. Saves me the trouble of having to find you again."

Her left hand crossed over to her right thigh, grazing over the gun hidden beneath the fabric there. Just when she had lifted up her skirt high enough to grab it she heard someone behind her yell "M-Miss Stone!"

Silvia froze, quickly flattening her skirt back down and letting go of the man's shirt. "I'll come back for you." She hissed at him, glaring as he scampered away.

She took a deep breath, composing herself before swiveling back around. Clark stood in the entrance to the alleyway, sun shining behind him but face obscured by the darkness leaking from the passage. He seemed to stand taller than usual...but Silvia was too occupied by the nuisance of his arrival to be concerned with sudden posture improvements.

"Sorry for the delay, Clark." Silvia tried to sound pleasant even through her annoyance. She crouched down to the tied up man and started setting him loose. She pulled the duct tape from his mouth as gently as possible but it still made a resounding 'rip'. "Do you need any medical attention?"

"N-No." The man managed to croak out. "You saved me... Thank you."

"No problem." Silvia gave a weak smile then pushed herself back up. She walked right passed Clark, hearing him stumble to follow her across the road and into the cafe.

The half a dozen customers glanced up as the door swung open, heralded by a blast of hot wind. Unlike the outside, the interior of the café was cool and cheery, with bright lights and colourful walls. The customers returned to their conversations as the door swung closed behind the new entrants and the heat was forgotten, forced away by the air conditioning.

Clark followed silently as Silvia made her way to the table he had previously been sitting in, right beside the window. She sat on the opposite side of the half empty coffee mug and motioned for him to join her. He did, clumsily and hastily, hoping to now grab enough time to speak.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" He finally blurted out.

"That wasn't a fight, that was a punch." Silvia slumped in the chair. It was a lot comfier than her own couch...which wasn't all that difficult.

"Then where did you learn to 'punch'?"

"It's not exactly rocket science, Kent. You just aim your fist and swing, I'm sure even a stick in the mud like you could do it." Silvia huffed and crossed her arms. "Didn't you have more important questions to ask me?"

"R-Right!" Clark chirped, glancing down at his notebook and picking up the pen from its spot on the table. "I'd like to get at least one more serious answer out of you, if that's humanly possible. Okay so...what do you think Southside needs for it to be a better place to live?"

Silvia clenched her teeth to prevent laughter from breaking out but it was useless, her giggles bursted forth anyway and grabbed the attention of those around her. "Are you serious? Southside's a lost cause. The kindest thing to do would be to burn the whole damn thing to the ground."

Clark's forehead wrinkled and his expression dropped. His hand had started gliding the pen across the paper but his lips were tightened into a thin line while he wrote. "You're very quick to give up on your home, Miss Stone."

"My 'home' gave up on me a long time ago. It's time I returned the favour."

"What do you mean by that?" Clark seemed curious now, like he was drilling to the centre of the earth and had finally broken the surface.

Silvia scowled. "I mean it's a fucking junkyard, that's all."

"And how long have you lived there exactly?" Clark's voice quickly followed hers as if he had completely dismissed her answer.

"I..." Silvia paused, taken back by the sudden push of personal questions. "That's none of your business!"

She had turned so red that Clark half expected her to have steam coming out of her ears. Her eyes had sharpened and her fingernails had started digging into the table's surface.

"I'm, uh...sorry. It's just something I have to ask-"

"I didn't come here to be interrogated!"

"Do you..." Clark's eyebrow jerked upwards. "I don't think you're using that word in the correct situation."

Silvia stopped, eyes flicking to the side as if it would help her think harder. "W-Well, whatever! You know what I mean!" She stood up, slamming her palm against the table. "Fuck you and your questions. You never said they'd be personal."

With a particularly mean glare in the direction of any onlookers, Silvia marched out of the building. A bell chimed as she opened the door and again as it closed, in the distance she heard it jingle twice more. Silvia groaned, weaving her way through the people that headed towards her.

"Miss Stone!" She heard Clark's deep voice call over the chatter. "Please wait up!"

"Get lost, Kent!" Silvia shouted back at him, pace only speeding up.

She thought that she had lost him, but before she even had time to comprehend it, Clark had not only caught up but rushed in front of her. He had that same awkward smile on his face that made Silvia feel guilty about her outburst. Still...she would have done it again. Her personal life was not a story she was wiling to tell someone she met little more than a week ago, and Clark didn't appear to understand her annoyance or disapproval unless she was swearing at him.

Clark held his large hands out, symbolizing for her to stop. "I'm sorry, I d-didn't know that a question like that would bother you so much."

"Show's how much you know..." Silvia grumbled, trying to force her previous anger back up.

"I-If it helps, you can ask me a question for every one that I ask you."

Silvia shook her head with a scoff. "The problem with that is that I couldn't care less about where you live or grew up, Kent. And I certainly don't have a plethora of questions I need answering from you."

"O-Oh yeah, I guess not..." Clark stuttered, shifting the briefcase clasped in his hands. "Well, I'll just avoid any question you deem too personal, deal?"

The blonde sighed, frustration starting to disappear. "Look, I really do think you're wasting your time...and mine. My involvement in this article really can't be all that essential."

"Trust me, Miss. It's crucial." He answered so positively that Silvia was almost inclined to believe him...before she remembered that no one just randomly picked out a stranger for an interview and tracked them down for days to make sure they agreed to it.


	9. Nine

**_Chapter Nine: Sonset I  
_**

It had happened overnight. A few hours after Clark had walked her back home every news station was blowing up. Silvia couldn't find any channel not broadcasting something about the alien war criminal General Zod. Silvia flicked through to channel 52. "--during the early hours of the morning. General Zod issued the following message to every major Metropolis news network. For those of you who are uninformed, the 'Kal-El' that this warlord refers to, is indeed Superman himself." The anchor declared, before the visual cut to a static image of audio waves.

The voice that spoke next was booming with authority and power. "People of Earth. I am Zod, a child of Krypton, the same as your beloved Kal-El. I bear this message today, as a marker of an occasion of great importance. Kal-El is dead. Slain by my hand. Without your protector, you are weak and vulnerable. My companions and I can topple your feeble structures with but a breath...and thousands will die. We can burn the flesh from your brittle bones with a glare. Understand that we do not share Kal-El's short lived love for this world. Submit to me and kneel or suffer the consequences. I felt it...appropriate for the city he adored so much to be laid to waste first."

Silvia swallowed. She knew it couldn't be true... Nothing could kill Superman, right? Not even his own people. She had thought she'd be relieved with his departure, but without him to protect the city she actually dreaded what was going to happen.

The anchor paused then stammered "Th-This just in, we have reports that Zod has arrived at Heroes' Park in central Metropolis and is attempting to deface the Superman statue on site."

Silvia furrowed her brow. She was wondering how big an ego someone needed to want to do something like that...

"The Justice League has been notified and is reacting accordingly."

"Shit." Silvia exhaled.

The next few hours consisted of Silvia looking out of her windows for any sign of...well anything. There was a lot of street wide panic and people trying to flee the city. Silvia knew that was a stupid idea because millions of other people in this gigantic city had similar plans.

It wasn't long before the news stations shut down, obviously evacuating their staff from the city centre. It also became apparent that the panic had become a bit too strong; looting, violence and outright barbarism flooded the streets.

Silvia groaned. "People... Fucking people, man..."

Much like before, Silvia grabbed her suit, a specific loadout, stashed it beneath her trench coat and stormed out of her apartment. On the ground, Southside was a sea of panic. It was insane. There wasn't much Silvia could do to calm people down. She was good at lowering people's heart rate a little too well for that.

Before long, she spotted a bunch of teenagers throwing bricks at windows and clearing places out. Silvia slipped her mask on, and pulled one of her last remaining pistols out. "Hey! Shitheads!" She shouted at them from across the street.

The young criminals froze and instantly sent their frightened eyes at her. "H-Holy shit! Hey h-hey, you can't kill us for stealing shit!"

"Don't test me, I just might tonight. Go home!" She taunted, firing a round off at the ground. The teens seemed to wet themselves as they scampered away, out of sight.

Silvia knew this was just the beginning. Before she had time to waste _more_ time thinking about the night to come, a thunderous rumbling threw many people on the street to the ground. A hole was punched through a nearby building by the limp body of a man in a dark suit, followed through by a figure in a white suit and red cape. They vanished into the cloudy sky before Silvia could make out any more features.

The cracking and tremors continued as Silvia slowly moved her eyes back to the building. A gigantic split appeared horizontally across its mid section...then its top began to tip over.

Silvia's heart stopped. "Move!!! Watch out!!!" She shrieked to the innocent people below that were heaving personal belongings into their cars.

She broke into a sprint to get closer but she knew she was too far away, and though she was faster than an average person, she wasn't fast enough. "Fuck...!" She hissed, giving up as the mass of concrete tumbled off of its perch, and plummeted towards the ground.

To her amazement, there was a flash of bright green light then a gargantuan set of complex scaffolding appeared around the debris, halting the pull of gravity. The green light swiftly hauled the wreckage away and Silvia was left staring at the floating half building as it eventually disappeared from sight.

"Jesus. Okay..." She sighed under her breath. _What the hell was that?_

Silvia decided to push it aside and make her way towards the CBD, mostly to find some more low lives trying to rob the richer places, but she also found herself thinking about Clark whose workplace was right in the middle. The journey showed her just how much damage occurred throughout that single day. Buildings had been mangled, gutted and scorched. There were no immense crowds of people there either.

She only saw bodies... Whether they were bludgeoned by falling concrete, seared by some kind of fire, or simply dismembered and mangled, it made no difference to Silvia. They had lost their lives for nothing.

Her eyes fluttered and she was forced to regain control of her staggered breathing. All of this happened because Superman was gone...all of this meaningless death. She began to see, somewhat, that Metropolis needed him. That he protected the city from muggers and thieves, but from people like this most importantly. It was too late though. Metropolis was lost.

Downtown towards the City Hall was an incredible amount of noise. Silvia already had the M4A1 that she recently stole at the ready. The sky was orange with the rays of sunset, and the streets began to grow dark.

Silvia snaked around the bend and came face to face with a rather busy sight. A chrome plated robot with a skull face was wrangling with a pair of Justice Leaguers.

One of the Leaguers wove through the sky like a dancer, throwing orange hot balls of fire at the robot. The other seemed to be wearing a suit of armour that covered everything but his mouth and the right side of his dark-skinned face, and fired a massive laser that seemed built into his arm at the mechanical creature.

Silvia was intent on sneaking by the feud, until the large armoured man was thrown into a building by the mech. The flying woman hurled more beams of fire at it, and Silvia hesitated. "Argh... Shit." She spat, morals interfering with her desire to run.

The assault rifle she carried fired bursts of armour- piercing ammunition that impacted squarely on the robot's head and shoulders. After several minutes of this concentrated attack, the robot finally collapsed from its numerous bullet holes and melted components.

The person that Silvia fought alongside glided to the ground next to her. "Many thanks for your assistance!"

"Oh...uh..." Silvia murmured as she finally paid attention to the woman. She had deep orange skin, fire red hair and the brightest green eyes that Silvia had ever seen. She immediately assumed that she had met her first alien. Well, second, if Superman counted. This woman was wearing, in the words that Silvia found most appropriate, a purple 'sling bikini but with briefs'.

"My name is Koriand'r!" She chirped, stiffly extending her hand as if someone had told her what a handshake was the other day, but had never showed her how to give one.

Silvia, whose brain was still processing the robot battle, squeezed Kori's hand. "...I'm...uh...Silvia."

Kori smiled sweetly. "It is nice to meet you, Uh Silvia!"

Suddenly, a pile of rubble shifted in the background and Kori's armoured friend emerged, wincing in pain. "Thanks for checking on me, Starfire... Don't mind me, just scrubbing that Brainiac virus out of my systems..." He growled. Silvia noted that half of his face was covered by that odd helmet. It had two glaring red eyes; one where his left eye should be, and one on his forehead.

When he finally opened his real eye, he paused and frowned. "Kori, that woman is a murderer."

Silvia widened her eyes. She was speechless.

Kori glanced between the armoured man and Silvia, puzzled. "Oh really? That is great!"

"No, it's not...murdering is bad." The man sighed, rolling an eye. "Look, we have our hands full at the moment. So I'd prefer it if you stayed out of trouble." He said to Silvia, sternly.

"Hey I just helped your friend kill that robot guy. And...uh...I'm a friend of Superman's." She lied sombrely. "I wanted to do what I could to help."

The man looked at the ground, and Kori seemed saddened by the mention of Superman. Silvia, being the person that she was, quipped energetically "That's a nice suit."

With another groan, the man answered bluntly "It's not a suit."

Silvia looked him up and down as she stammered "I-It's not? uh..."

"The name's _Cyborg_."

As Cyborg glared at Silvia, she muttered "...I think you should've started with that."

Cyborg turned on his heel and started walking away. "Come on Kori, we got somewhere to be."

The orange-skinned girl beamed over at Silvia. "Would you like to join us? It is always nice to receive extra help!"

There was a pause... "Not ones with blood on 'em!" Cyborg called from down the street.

"Where are you going?" Silvia asked quietly, narrowing her eyes at the half cybernetic man.

"There are innocents trapped inside the Daily Planet building; we were on our way to set them free."

Worry crept over her like an icy chill, numbing her brain. In this frozen state Silvia's mind offered her only one thought. _Clark might be in that building... _She tried to choke down the feeling, reminding herself that the man was near intolerable to her, but the concern only hit her harder.

Silvia nodded rapidly. "You'll need a hand if more of those robots attack."

"Splendid! Let us get going then!"

Cyborg didn't bother to object as Silvia and Kori caught up with him. "...First of all that was a lone specimen, thought to be inactive, that was kept at Star Labs until it escaped during the chaos. And even if there were more, they'd be the least of our concerns."

The trio kept their eyes peeled as they follow Cyborg past the ruins of City Hall. "Zod is number one?" Silvia inquired.

Cyborg grimaced as he surveyed the landscape and responded "He's as powerful as Superman, but without the manners. If he wanted to, he could shatter the planet with his bare hands. I've done the calculations."

Silvia exhaled with a nervous gasp.

"Yeah. And Zod has about five other kryptonians running around with him. I know you were Superman's friend, so you say, but you have no idea what he was capable of. We could all sleep at night since Superman happened to be one of the nicest people in the universe. He hid it...controlled himself. Imagine what these people, ones just like him, without all of the discipline and control, could do in a week. A month. All this chaos took them a matter of hours. So if you're coming with us, you better know that we're here to help and not to shoot because those suckers could quite literally rip us both in half." The robotic man lectured.

Silvia didn't entirely feel like replying...but she did anyway. "They could rip us in half but what about her?" She asked, gesturing at Kori.

Kori grinned as she prepared to say something back, but Cyborg promptly cut her off. "Starfire could last a minute or two. Probably."

Defeated, but still cheerful, Kori added "The strongest of us are fighting the Kryptonians directly as we try to evacuate the city."

Silvia couldn't really understand how someone could be stronger than an alien chick who could throw fireballs and fly...or Robocop over there. She tried not to think about it too heavily.

On the way, the three saw people taking shelter in the buildings still standing, or trying to leave on foot. Cyborg advised them to lay low until it was safe, but not all of them listened. Silvia felt like they should've forced those people to stay; to not give them a choice.

Without warning, a figure crashed into the street before them. Rubble was sent flying everywhere, and Kori was forced to disintegrate the larger pieces before they flung into her or her partners.

When the dust settled, crouched in a large crater, was a massive man in a black suit. As he stood, Silvia noticed that he bore a symbol on his chest; much like the 'S' shield that Superman wore, but instead of an S it was some other symbol that she'd never seen before.

"Run, Silvia." Cyborg growled, pushing in front of her. She began to slowly backpedal.

The man, with a thick dark beard on his face and short black hair, marched forward. "The General will want your heads."

"Go!" Kori shouted.

Cyborg roared and leaped forward, socking the man in the jaw with his fist. His arm shattered into metal shrapnel, circuitry and bolts. Kori then took to the skies, hurling all she could at the man, as Silvia finally spun on her heel and sprinted away as fast as she could.

She lost track of how long she ran for. Silvia cursed at herself, frustrated at the fact that she had fled. The whole time, as that man walked towards them, she was thinking about her first encounter with Superman. She was helpless. She could do nothing to hurt him...and in this more current situation, she was going to die. She shook off this feeling of shame once she saw the iconic globe that once sat on the roof of the Daily Planet.

It was buried in an intersection, cars piled upon it in every direction. To her left, Silvia saw the building itself. A bus was thrown into its lower floor, most likely destroying the elevators and cutting off access. As she made to a jog an all too familiar wisp of wind shot passed. She gasped.

What she ended up seeing in its wake, was the disappointing sight of a man in red tights. He had a lightning bolt on his chest and a mask that revealed the lower half of his face. "You're The Flash..." She muttered without thinking.

His strong jaw clenched as he cocked his head to the side. "Please tell me you're not a bad guy. I had to beat up thirty others on the way here."

"...I'm not a bad guy."

"Oh, okay. Good. Nice guns." He said, unconvinced.

"No, seriously man. I was just with uh...Cyborg and Starfire until one of those Krypt...Kryptozinen...whatevers came down and started beating them all up."

His cocky facade dropped instantly. "Where are they?"

Silvia instantly stammered "W-Wait, they were coming here to clear the Daily Planet of civilians; they're trapped inside."

"Okay." And not a second later he spoke again. "Done. Where are they?"

Silvia blinked a couple times. "W-What...--"

"Look, please just tell me where. They could be dead." He stated urgently.

Silvia pointed behind her and said "Straight that way... That's where I came from."

Without another word, the man shot away like a bullet, nothing but wind where he stood. Silvia's eyes focused, and saw that there was a crowd of about thirty people standing in the street, dazed and confused.

Silvia had to pinch herself. She didn't even see Flash move at all... It was amazing. She hurried over to the crowd then stuttered when she realized that she'd have to talk to normal people in costume without the intention of beating them up or killing them. "O-Oh...uh...hi. Um, d-do you...uh... Is Clark Kent here?" She called loudly.

One of the men, older and wearier, stepped over to Silvia. "Hey, can't you people give us a break? Superman's dead, all hell breaks loose, and you're still trying to make your goddamn money?"

Silvia groaned. "Look grandpa, I'm not a bad guy. I just told The Flash you guys were stuck in there, so I'd rather you not be a douchebag and make me regret my decision. So, Is Kent here?"

The man rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "Sorry, we've just been... I'm sorry. Alright, Kent never showed up today. He hasn't been answering his cell either. I wanted him to get an article out of all this...destruction, but I couldn't get a hold of him."

Silvia's eyes fell to the floor. He could be dead, and she wouldn't know for weeks. She started thinking about the usual things people think about when they find out someone's dead...all of the terrible things she said, how aggressive she was, then she grasped those terrible feelings and discarded them. Now wasn't the time.


	10. Ten

**_Chapter Ten: Sonset II_**

Silvia's plans for the day ended at finding Clark, so she aimlessly attempted to find a place for the Daily Planet staff to lay low until everything hopefully blew over. She and the thirty something journalists, photographers and workers had recently settled inside a subway station. They were all shaken, exhausted and terrified.

One of the young men sat staring unblinkingly at the wall, clicking a button on his watch over and over again. It made Silvia want to slap him in his freckled face. Part of her was going to ask him to cut it out, but she couldn't get herself to do that.

She wanted to go... Where? She had no idea. All she knew was that Metropolis was a war zone now and leaving was probably the best thing to do. But, she also knew that they were so deep inland that it would take days to get to a bridge out of the city, if they could stay alive that long.

Her encounter with that Kryptonian still echoed within her mind... "Hey."

Silvia glanced away from the floor and saw that she'd been approached by a woman with medium length black hair and a set of bright blue eyes. "Let me cut to the chase. I know who you are. I'm a journalist, after all. What you've been doing today lacks a specific amount of blood and guts compared to your usual work. So, tell me, why are you helping us?"

Silvia, M4 rifle still gripped firmly in her hands, shook her head. "C'mon lady, give me a break."

"And why were you after Kent? Huh? What do you want with him?"

"I am _this_ close to smacking you in the face, okay? Don't try me." Silvia stated plainly, hovering her index finger over her thumb and leaving only the slightest bit of room between them.

Lois frowned, glaring at Silvia's mask. She opened her mouth and spoke softly "Look, I thank you for helping us. These people are my family, and I don't have a problem with you leading us away from that mess. What I do have a problem with, is that this doesn't line up. You never help anyone."

"I don't care what you think. All I do is what needs to be done. You--" Silvia froze as she heard a distant howling.

Lois' grimace slowly dissipated. "What is it?" She asked, calm but concerned.

The prompt cracking and shuddering of concrete in response said it all. Lois' eyes widened then moved over to the young man with the watch. "J-Jimmy...the watch..." She whispered.

The young photographer froze, dirt-stained face painted with horror.

Silvia swallowed and stood up taller. "Run down the line. I'll...I-I'll buy you as much time as I can." She called to everyone.

Lois suddenly appeared to be much more conflicted than she was before. "...I'll make sure no one forgets this."

"Go." Silvia urged. The Planet staff didn't waste any time in pushing to their feet and leaping onto the rails of the train line.

Silvia rushed up the stairs, sorting through the weapons she had with her. She heard some rumour that Superman couldn't see through lead; so those lead-based smoke grenades she packed might at least give her a chance at running away...maybe. Apart from that, she had nothing. And it terrified her.

At the top of the stairs, Silvia had slung her rifle and held two smoke grenades, one in each hand. The Kryptonian was there before she could even blink, walking towards her. This one was tall, bald but just as wide as the previous one. His eyes began to glow red.

"O-Oh fuck!" Silvia shouted, pulling the pins on each of her grenades and rolling them along the floor. Just as the grenades blew, a massive beam of red fire shot through the clouds, prompting Silvia to leap to the side with a roll.

Continuing to circle around the clouds, Silvia kept a close eye on it for any signs of movement. Suddenly the cloud seemed to grow smaller. The Kryptonian huffed as he breathed in the entire cloud and shot it away into the sky. His dark, uncaring eyes fell onto Silvia once again. He smiled as he continued towards her.

She just stood there. She knew there was no running away.

Until...a gigantic impact blew her off her feet. Silvia was sent flying ten metres backward. She instantly sat upright and beheld the sight of a massive crater where the Kryptonian once was.

As the smoke and dust cleared, she caught images of two people struggling inside the crater. A woman, broad, muscular and tall, locked the alien soldier in a fierce headlock. Her short blonde hair was frizzy and messy, and the white fabric of her suit was stained with soot and ash. Her bare powerful legs were marked with mild cuts and bruises.

This woman's eyes lit up crimson, and she bombarded the Kryptonian with heat as she screamed with rage. Silvia began to realize...she was one of them, the way Superman was. She could only assume that it was Power Girl.

Another figure landed softly from the sky, facing Silvia. This woman was even larger than the other one with dark, long hair and eyes just as blue as the one behind her. She was at least a head taller than Silvia, with the confidence that made her think again of Superman, she was covered in powerful muscle yet moved with all the poise and grace of an elegant woman. "To your feet, sister." She spoke unsettlingly calmly, despite the vicious battle being fought behind her.

Silvia's eyes were seized by the woman's red, gold and blue unitard...thing. It finally clicked that this was Wonder Woman, the warrior princess of the Amazons. In one hand she held a bloodied broadsword, and in the other a scarred shield. "Oh wow. Um. Big fan." Silvia nervously chuckled as she got to her feet.

Wonder Woman's stern gaze grew slightly more annoyed-looking after Silvia's remark.

In the background, Silvia noticed that Power Girl was punched through a building by the Kryptonian...who then bounded at her and Wonder Woman.

Expecting to die, Silvia was simply thrown back off her feet again as Wonder Woman spun and slammed her shield into the alien's face. As he flew away from the blow, the Amazon warrior dropped her shield and expertly caught the moving target with a glowing gold lasso.

With a fierce hold, and several tugs of the rope by wrapping it around her arm and pulling it down with a foot, the alien was sent into the Amazon's arms. One swift movement saw Wonder Woman thrust her sword into the kryptonian's heart, her face warped in a determined grimace.

She didn't let out a single grunt or yell during the entire fight...like it was too easy for her.

Wonder Woman tugged the blade from the man's chest and kicked his limp body onto the ground.

Power Girl returned, hovering over as she rubbed her head. She looked much worse for wear than Wonder Woman did. "Ugh...Diana...did you have to kill him?"

Wonder Woman's fierce eyes met hers and she instantly dropped the subject.

Silvia muttered to herself "Oh...my god. So cool."

"How quaint. The first of my men to fall...I am disappointed at how long it took." A different voice reached their ears. All three of them looked up and saw another Kryptonian. This one was older and wore a neatly trimmed beard. His temples were shot with grey.

"Look closely. Your fate will be the same, General." Wonder Woman called, pointing at the corpse with her sword.

He did nothing but laugh at Wonder Woman's threat. "You should be by my side, Kara. Despite your...strange origins, you are still of my people bounded by blood and heritage, we should be your only family." The man spoke to the tall blonde girl.

Power Girl frowned and cracked her knuckles. "I'll have to pass on that. Kal was my family."

Someone else joined the party... A Kryptonian was thrusted into the ground by a green glowing truck. A rather good-looking man in a matching green uniform floated in from around the corner. "Ladies." He quipped confidently as he nodded at the two. "That includes you, Zod."

As if baited by this green guy, two more aliens flew in from behind the concrete jungle. One was the largest man Silvia had ever seen, and the other was a short haired woman who looked like Wonder Woman could easily snap her in half. "You dare?" The woman spat.

"Easy, Ursa. Their words are nothing. Their champion is dead...and this day will be remembered as the day they fall, in his example." Zod said for everyone to hear.

The green truck disappeared from on top of the unconscious alien, and green weapons of all sorts; laser guns, rocket launchers, and...giant boxing gloves...began to appear around the green guy. "Hey, manners! We're right here!" He suddenly turned his head and noticed Silvia on her ass, just watching. "Oh. Uh. Hey. What can you do...?" He whispered.

"...Shoot guns...run a little faster than a normal person..?"

"Well that stinks." He muttered, then turned back to Zod to shout "You haven't won yet! Here we are, come on!" He once again turned to Silvia. "No seriously...its about to get messy. Get outta here."

There wasn't enough time for Silvia to think. She couldn't even process the speed at which everything was moving...things just started exploding. A building was leveled. More explosions tore at the ground, several beams of red fire ripped down even more structures.

"O-Oh. Fuck fuck fuck. Fuck!!" Silvia muttered to herself as she scampered to her feet and pushed herself away from the chaos as hard as she could, even harder than before. She felt her muscles straining but the incredible noise behind her did nothing to slow her down.

Someone was thrown into a tower in front of Silvia's route and it began to topple over like a house of cards. Silvia screamed as she went even faster. She was tearing a tendon, she could feel it, but she couldn't stop. She couldn't slow down.

The tower drew closer to the ground and impacted just as Silvia's head brushed by it. Its force tripped her, sending her soaring into the side of a car.

She dented the car door and shattered the window, falling to the ground. Silvia was finally out of breath. She struggled to her feet, wincing at the muscle she tore from the run.

What she saw next made her blood run cold. Zod rounded the back of the fallen tower with a laugh. It was about thirty metres away, but Zod made his booming voice clear "How pathetic." In one hand, he dragged the limp body of Kara, as he called her. "Your friends could at least fight. Humans... You're all so weak."

He dropped the body then ripped his fingers into the remains of the tower, heaved it over his head, then slowly floated to the sky. He reeled back then tossed it.

Silvia watched as the gigantic twenty metre tall barrel of this structure came roaring towards her. Trembling, she closed her eyes. There was another cacophony of shattering steel and concrete, and Silvia was certain it wiped her out...but she opened her eyes.

Standing before her, braced and with his fist pointed toward Zod, the tower split clean in two around Silvia...was _him_. Moving from this position, he stood tall. Silvia noted that his cape was missing, his suit was stained with burns, and his hair was ruffled more than usual. He turned his head to Silvia with a sombre and reassuring smile. "Are you okay?" He said softly.

"Y-You're back...but..." Silvia stuttered. It also occurred to her that he'd have the chance, now, to torment her in the future.

Superman crossed his arms and turned to Zod. "Let's just say the news was...greatly exaggerated."

Zod gritted his teeth. "So...you escaped. I underestimated your intelligence."

"My father discovered the Phantom Zone, General. You certainly did." Superman replied sternly. "This ends now. Will you come quietly?"

Zod rolled his fists and growled "Have I ever?" He speared towards the two of them.

Superman turned to Silvia quickly and said "Excuse me." With a serious smile.

He met Zod in the middle of the long stretch of road with a burst of speed so great that the impact shattered every window on the row of buildings. Suddenly, it looked like they stood a chance with Superman there. For the first time, Silvia was glad to see him... For the most part.


	11. Eleven

**_Chapter Eleven: Sonset Epilogue_**

All the once tall buildings were no more than ash and charcoal. The air was heavy with the smell of burnt flesh and smoke hung in a haze that partially obscured the blood-red sun. Metropolis stood like a barren wasteland. Even the ocean was still like semi-stagnant pools of death and loss, there were no waves as even the wind had left the earth. The skies were blank, no birds flew or sang, And all the while the exhausting heat rained down like the breath of a beast.

There had been so many lives taken by the Kryptonian visitors, but now even they had been drawn back by the return of Superman. A few of them lay lifeless on the ground...but Silvia wasn't sure what had happened to Zod. Superman had taken him somewhere, likely the same place the General had trapped him.

Silvia's eyes flicked around at the destruction, making her way to the middle of the street where she saw a few of the heroes. It was odd. They were standing around and talking like normal people after a hard day's work. It was just jarring for Silvia to see.

Silvia had planned to walk right passed them; just looking at them made her feel uncomfortable. She didn't fit in with any of them - she was no hero. She had been all but useless in the fight. She had seen most of these people do amazing things, things she could only dream of.

The masked woman had just started to think she could get away without being noticed by the distracted group... However, she was not that lucky.

"Oh it's you, Uh Silvia!" A familiar, high pitched voice called out.

She turned with a loud groan. Something told Silvia that her 'secret identity' wasn't all that secret. "It's just Silvia... No, wait... I mean..." She sighed. "It's Reaper."

"Oh, like how I'm Starfire!" Kori said gleefully. It seemed like a reoccurring thing for her to state the obvious as if it were much more complicated.

"I dunno, dude. I guess." Silvia answered with a shrug, digging her hands into her pockets awkwardly as a few of the superheroes turned to look at her.

"Come, Reaper!" Kori grabbed onto her arm and tugged hard enough for her hand to be yanked out of her pocket, then dragged her over to the group with an unwavering grin.

It only took one attempt to get away for Silvia to realize that Starfire had super strength, something that she had absolutely no chance against. "H-Hey what the fu--"

"Friends, this is Reaper! She is a murderer!" Kori forced her between a guy clothed in green that she had seen before, and a man she had never met in her life. He was about 6'2 with bulging muscles and dark hair slicked back. His outfit was red with a gold lightning bolt on his chest. She had seen a few pictures of him online... 'Shazam', they called him.

"Well, if it isn't 'shoots-gun-and-runs-fast' girl." The green man said with an amused tone, ignoring Kori almost as if this had happened before.

"Yeah. And you're...'makes-green-stuff' man?" Silvia asked.

"You don't know who I am?" He replied feigning insult with a cocky smile. "Surely you've heard of The Green Lantern."

"Umm... No." Silvia cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. "Kind of a stupid name to be honest." She muttered to herself.

"Oooh, burn!!!" Shazam said with a booming laugh, one that extended for such a long period of time that it became awkward - like a child's laugh...but on a man.

Silvia cleared her throat at the silence that followed, cursing the orange-skinned alien for taking her there. None of them had been particularly cruel to her, but social situations weren't her strong suit. "Why'd you name yourself after a phone app?" Silvia asked Shazam.

Lantern wheezed in amusement as Shazam stared at her. "Dude..._they_ stole it from _me_." He said sadly. "Totally not cool, man."

"Okay, all jokes aside...you did good." Lantern said, planting his hands on his hips. "People tend to think we don't feel fear but we do, and most of the time we feel it the most. What you did was overcome that fear to help others. The Daily Planet will never forget what you did. You'd make a great Lantern."

Silvia frowned. He didn't know what kind of stuff she'd done in the past. What kind of stuff that she'd _keep_ doing. He wouldn't say any of that if he knew. "Uh...thanks. Whatever that means."

Lantern slapped Shazam on the shoulder and said "We'd best be going, plenty of clean up to do."

"Yeah...downside of super strength is that we gotta lift everything." Shazam added.

They then flew off, leaving Silvia standing there with Kori who was waving intensely at them. "Aren't they nice?" She said in her cheerful voice.

"Shazam is a little weird."

"Oh don't mind Billy; I have been told that he is actually very capable for a twelve year old." Kori said, raising her palm.

Silvia wrinkled her brow then yelped "...He's...he's twelve...?"

"Yes." Kori said as if it were normal. Silvia waited for an explanation but it never came.

In the distance, Silvia caught the distinct silhouette of Superman approaching. He grew, then landed before Silvia and Kori. "It's very nice to see you again Kal-El!" Kori declared, embracing Superman tightly.

He seemed to be very upset about something. Silvia thought that maybe it was the guilt. "Likewise, Princess." He answered.

The pair released and Kori eagerly looked from Silvia to Superman then back again. "So. Uh. We thought you were dead." Silvia started with a deadpan voice.

"Zod thought it was a good idea to say I was dead...to shatter people's hope. He wasn't expecting me to escape."

Superman then noticed Kori's odd staring, and with a smirk, told her "Lantern and Shazam could use your help with the clean up, Kori."

"Oh of course!" She seemed too eager to help to realize that Superman was trying to get Silvia to himself. Silvia's stomach dropped when Kori took off.

Superman's smile faded and he looked into Silvia's eyes. "You've proven to me while I was gone that your heart's in the right place. I may not agree with your methods...but I appreciate your spirit. Cyborg, Starfire and a contact from the Daily Planet have filled me in on what you've been doing."

Silvia gasped when he mentioned the Planet... Clark. She still didn't know what happened to him. "H-Hey, you have...super eyes, right?"

Although still looking weary, Supes raised an eyebrow. "Super eyes?" He repeated, amused.

"You know what I mean. Look, I have a...a friend. I haven't seen him since this all happened and I want you to find him for me."

Superman, without hesitation, nodded. "Okay, describe him for me."

Silvia was once again shocked by how quickly he wanted to help. "Um...black hair, blue eyes, glasses, about your size and height. It's likely he tripped over and hit his head instead of actually being attacked."

Supes seemed to blink nervously as Silvia described Clark.

He looked extremely shocked as he said to her "Wait...wait a second. He works at the Planet?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Kent Clark. I know that guy. He writes a good column." Supes nodded with a grin.

Silvia cocked her head awkwardly. "Actually it's Clark Kent."

Superman's shock seemed to only multiply. "O-Oh. Okay." He looked around but it appeared a little too casual, and his gaze a little too hazy for Silvia to believe he had actually searched. Apparently he had looked though because he soon answered. "He's at his folks' farm in Smallville right now. Just missed the attack."

"Oh goddammit Clark...I spent the whole freaking day worrying about him and he wasn't even fucking here." Silvia sulked, crossing her arms and tensing though she couldn't conceal the relieved exhale that blew passed her lips. "Last time I worry about some nosy reporter."

The edge of Superman's mouth twitched as if he was fighting off a smirk. "Not so concerned anymore?"

"Nope." Silvia quickly answered with a huff. "I guess I should thank you."

"It's no trouble, I'm happy to help."

Silvia's gaze quickly flicked away from the Man of Steel. "I said that I should, not that I would."

A sound much like a stifled laugh reached Silvia's ears, quickly followed by Superman's deep voice. "Of course." He said politely. "Was there anything else?"

"Stop speaking like a waiter taking my damn order and I think I'll be fine."

Superman finally cracked and his usual smile stretched across his face. "I'll see you around then."

"Fuck, I hope not."

Superman lifted from the air, hovering towards an especially damaged building just as Power Girl appeared in front of it. Her nose was red at the tip and her small mouth screwed itself around by the left corner. The closer Superman came to her, the more her round face wrinkled at the effort it took to not break down. However, Silvia listened intently enough that she could hear small sniffles and see two infinitesimal drops of water issue from the nearly closed eyes.

"Kara" Superman said gently and Power Girl jumped into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The large muscles in her arms tensed so much that Silvia assumed that if she held a normal person that tightly she'd break them in half. Superman barely seemed to feel it though.

He quickly embraced her as well, keeping her upright with his strength. Silvia now saw the true impact he made, and how much Metropolis and its heroes needed him. Though she wished the man would leave her to her own devices, she couldn't bring herself to wish death upon him anymore.

Clark, on the other hand... She was infuriated that she had actually worried about someone so personally and intensely. She hadn't felt like that since she was a child. That alone was enough for her to curse him under her breath the whole way back to her apartment.


	12. Twelve

**_Chapter Twelve: Two Birds, One Stone_**

Surprisingly, Suicide Slum had barely been touched by the attack. Silvia figured it was because it was so fucked up in the first place that there was nothing left to destroy. The Kryptonians could have blasted a giant hole through the middle, and as long as her apartment was still standing, Silvia wouldn't have noticed.

She saw a few people scurrying back to their homes, or the gutters in most cases, but none looked severely injured. Granted though it would be hard to tell under the grime that covered their bodies.

It was rather odd to enter her apartment after such an eventful day. It had her wondering what exactly she was suppose to do after so much chaos... Was she meant to sit down with take-out and continue on with her night? Was this so normal for the others that they knew the answer?

As the days dragged on she was tormented by that question. She wasn't even sure whether to go back to work or just let things settle. She ended up doing the latter in the midst of her confusion, whether she meant to or not.

This did change eventually, primarily when she received an email on the whereabouts of The Ventriloquist. She was never one to leave a job unfinished. It looked absolutely horrid on her record when an old man and his puppet could effectively survive two of her attempted assassinations. Granted, Superman was to blame for both occasions, but the dark web were unlikely to know that.

Silvia clicked open the message faster than ever before, completely discarding the packet of chips that had been lying on her stomach - _it had been another lazy day._ The message contained one word, and one word only... Gotham. He had returned to the Dark Knight's city.

Silvia wasted no time in booking the next train out of Metropolis, packing only her Reaper costume and several weapons; four guns, multiple smoke grenades, and the shiv she still had from the prison break. It was all shoved into a large bag with a shoulder strap that Silvia dreaded using. It always dug into her skin, especially with the weight of the guns.

Still, this didn't stop her from heaving it onto her side and shuffling to the station. She blended in quite well, unlike most others in her field. She couldn't even imagine how challenging it would be for someone like Cyborg or Starfire to walk around unnoticed.

The train pulled up with a loud screech. The wheels halted and the carriages rattled on the metal railway. The crowd leapt at the open doors, pushing and shoving so that they were all inside before the doors shut again. Inside, however, was worse. Suitcases being wheeled over people's feet and bags swung into every direction were just a few of the many joys of boarding a train to Gotham.

It was a relief when Silvia finally found her seat, but this was swiftly snatched away as well when she realised that she had been put next to a particularly talkative passenger. The entire trip was spent in agony, listening to this woman speak about her family, holiday, and retirement.

Silvia was about ready to jump out the window when the train finally stopped at her destination. She said not one word of farewell to her annoying new 'friend', and rushed out of the carriage. Gotham now clouded her view like smoke from a wild forest fire, and it looked just like that; thick, dark and threatening. You'd think with how hard it was raining that forest fire would extinguish. It had the same atmosphere as the slums back at Metropolis, but despite how rich some neighbourhoods appeared, they were saturated in gloom.

Silvia had considered moving to Gotham numerous times. She was more accustomed to the darkness that befell that city, and the crime rates were much higher. She assumed it was because they didn't have an overpowered alien flying around the streets, only a man in an expensive suit.

Silvia dug the phone out of her pocket and tracked the general area that The Ventriloquist was seen at. It seemed that he walked the same way every night, likely to get home. She was close.

The ground might as well have shattered beneath her every step with how gravelly it was. It was like it had recently been destroyed and no one had gotten around to fixing it. This was an unfortunate situation as it became a little harder to sneak through the city. The Ventriloquist didn't seem to notice her though, not until she leapt from behind the corner with her costume already thrown on.

The man flew back with a screech of surprise, almost dropping the case containing his puppet. Silvia swiftly took out her pistol, and aimed it straight at the man's head. Usually, seeing the fear in their eyes moments before their death, the regret for all the people they had hurt, would bring her a sense of satisfaction. She was addicted to the feeling...except now she couldn't help but hesitate.

Her finger itched against the trigger but even as the old man cowered before her, she didn't pull it. The fact that she even questioned killing him brought her great despair followed immediately by anger. Silvia had done this a hundred times before, and this man was no better than the others, so why?...

Her mind wandered to the reporter that had been following her the passed few weeks. No matter how hard she tried pushing him away, he never gave up on her...or more, his 'interview' with her. She still hadn't figured out his true intentions but that didn't seem to matter. As much as Silvia denied it, she hadn't stopped worrying about him since the attack...and now his mere memory was stopping her from doing her job.

He was such a good person, so pure-hearted, everything that she wasn't. That she could never be. Yet thinking about his possible reaction to her being the Reaper almost hurt. Her arm shook then dropped, gun hanging loosely at her side. "Come with me."

The man trembled then stumbled backwards. "N-No!" He shouted, no trust in his gaze. The Reaper never left a target alive.

The mask's fabric scrunched slightly, face beneath contorting in annoyance. "I wasn't asking."

Despite his better judgement, The Ventriloquist begun scrambling away. He was slow, even by normal standards. His age made his knees crack with each stretch, and his chest jumped like he was on the verge of having a heart attack...but still he ran.

It took less than two seconds for Silvia to catch up, and in the midst of her conflicting thoughts, she kicked him to the ground. She was outraged that he would turn down such mercy. She never did that for anyone, least of all a cowardly rat. It was almost enough to convince her that shooting him in the head was the right thing to do again...but she could no longer even reach for her gun. Her hand refused to move towards it, like she had suddenly grown a conscience.

Silvia sneered and pulled him up by the scruff of his shirt. "You're making it very hard not to kill you."

There was a sound...too quiet for normal ears but just loud enough for hers. A swishing sound, like a blade cutting through air. She pulled back, pushing the old man back to the floor in the process. This wasn't needed. The weapon had stopped just in front of her, edge buried into the concrete.

Silvia glanced up, squinting through the dark and rain that shivered against her costume. Someone was perched on top of a lamp post, rain saturating his dark hair and a bolt of lightening striking through the skies behind him. He was broad-shouldered but lean, and his eyes appeared stark white but Silvia could tell that it was built into the mask. His costume was black and blue, a symbol draped across his chest that extended over his shoulders.

"Is beating up old men a usual Friday night for you?" He finally spoke in a mid-ranged voice; low enough to sound serious but not enough to hide his age...or amusement.

"Is throwing shuriken at women yours?" Silvia replied, straightening up and crossing her arms.

"Do you know what a shuriken is? They're kinda meant to have more than two sides. That's more of a boomerang."

"Pretty shitty shuriken then. Also a pretty shitty boomerang...it didn't even come back to you."

There was a moment of silence where the man's head cocked to the side and his lips twitched into a smirk. He stepped off the lamp post, landing effortlessly on the ground. "Look, you're kinda cool...so I'm gonna give you a chance to walk away from this. Please do."

She could see the man clearly now, even through the heavy rain. His hair clung to his face in a way that Silvia didn't envy. She was suddenly thankful that her costume covered every inch, including her head. "Oh, look it's little Robin."

"It's Nightwing, actually."

"Same shit, different year." Silvia huffed. "Look, I appreciate the warning, but I've got a job to d-" She turned only to see that her target was gone, probably slipped away while she was distracted. Her enhanced hearing did nothing to fix her minds tendency to trail off from her mission.

There was a brief second where her muscles tensed beneath her suit and her eyes blared with hatred. She shouldn't have let him escape... She should have killed him when she had the chance. She looked back at Nightwing, scowl going unnoticed behind her mask. "Well played." She said despite her inner conflicts.

Her eyes flicked back to the pavement, trying to figure out which way he went. She heard a stumble of feet from a block away and started marching in that direction. She had completely dismissed that Nightwing was still there until he casually walked in front of her. "So, beating up old men is more of a job than a hobby?" He said smugly. "Sorry, can't let you do it."

"And you can't stop me either."

"Is that a challenge?" Nightwing sounded amused at the notion but didn't make any attempt to fight her...not until she shoved passed him.

Nightwing grabbed her arm and pulled her back, the surprise force making her stumble but not fall. Silvia glared at him, well as much as she could with a mask on. Getting passed him seemed like too much effort, even if she was faster than him. Silvia turned on her heels and dashed towards the nearest building. She'd just go around him then.

The girl jumped, securing her hand around a brick jutting out from its centre and her foot on the window sill. She scaled the shop, pulling herself onto the roof without breaking a sweat.

The struggling sound of a grappling hook could be heard a few buildings in front of her, and too rushed to think anything through, Silvia begun jumping from roof to roof. She had made it to the top of an old sporting goods store a few seconds before Nightwing, but he managed to grab her arm just as she was attempting to jump again.

He pulled her with enough force to send her falling back onto the roof. The girl sighed in frustration, quickly getting to her feet. "I climbed a building and jumped onto five different stores, yet still got here before you. If I were you I'd be getting a refund on that grappling hook."

Nightwing's smirk widened as he tucked the gadget away. "It's a shame you didn't take my offer while you had the chance. You're entertaining, I'm not going to like beating you into the ground."

"I'm sure you won't like it when I do the same to you either."

"We'll see." Was his only reply, said in a snarky tone before he took out two Escrima Sticks.

Nightwing rushed at her. Silvia dipped and weaved right just as he was about to reach her, then slashed her leg through the air. It struck against the man's skull with a crack but this only seemed to fire him up. Nightwing turned and started trying to land blows with his Escrima Sticks. She dodged them all.

Knowing now that she was much faster than him, the man resorted to tactics. He swung his leg in her direction, and as she brought her hand up to catch the attack, he punched the right side of her face. His knuckles dug into the mask but she appeared to bounce back almost instantly. "Nice." She said simply.

"Thanks." Nightwing replied right before he was flung over her shoulder and slammed into the concrete roof, breaking his wrist in the process.

He had tried to get up but one last fierce backhand sent Nightwing rolling over to the edge of the rooftop. Silvia's body was still ready for more...but Nightwing seemed to be down for the count.

He winced in pain as he laughed weakly. Silvia was more preoccupied by the thought that she managed to beat this guy...and not be beaten up herself.

"Well...was that as good for you as it was for me?" Silvia quipped.

Immensely proud of that one clever remark, Silvia cocked her head as she casually strolled to the rooftop's edge.

Suddenly, a black shape landed with a splash by Nightwing's side. Nightwing shuffled to an AC unit on the roof and leant against it as he muttered. "Type 1 meta...speed priority."

A man wearing a pitch black cape rose to his feet. "Oh for fuck's sake." Silvia growled.

Batman grimaced as he asked extremely quietly "Firearms usage?"

"None."

The Dark Knight slowly strode towards Silvia. "You going to try to stab me again?" He hissed.

"Depends. Get out of my way." She demanded.

He moved much faster than Nightwing... It was still too slow. The punch that soared towards her face was easily parried and redirected by a swift move of the hands. Silvia used this redirected force to send Batman tumbling away with a strong kick.

Silvia then spun and sprinted as fast as she could. She knew that her being in Gotham was pointless now...her mark could be anywhere after that interruption. Getting out of there was on the top of her list.

At the end of this building, Silvia bounded over the adjoining alleyway, landed with a roll, and continued running. Up ahead was a parking lot and an abandoned building to her right. She once again leapt and aimed to land on the paved lot.

Before she made it to the ground, an immense force swung into Silvia's side and propelled her into the window of an abandoned apartment.

Batman, releasing the grapple line he used to kick the Reaper, smashed through the glass with Silvia's body. The pair smacked into the dirty, wet floor and each rolled away to their feet.

Silvia gritted her teeth and rolled her fists. The one time she decided to do the right thing...and these assholes decide to gang up on her. She was fed up. Pushing against the wall behind her, Silvia charged forward so quickly that Batman had barely pushed to his feet before she reached him.

She wrapped her hands around the broad man and drove him back into the rotting wooden wall, demolishing and splintering it instantly.

In the next room she landed several ferocious punches to Batman's face, until he managed to send a pinpoint strike directed at a specific pressure point.

Silvia growled as one of her arms turned limp and Batman backhanded her with his titanium gauntlet. She was thrusted off of her feet and the back of her head dented the hardwood flooring, as Batman wasted no time in grasping her throat and ramming his fist into her gut.

Silvia's brain seemed to have shifted gears instantly. With a bloodcurdling roar, Silvia pulled her knees up to her chest, heaved Batman onto her feet and thrusted with reckless abandon.

The sheer force rocketed Batman into the ceiling, shattering the terrible handiwork that it took to make it. Silvia rolled clear when Batman's body fell to the ground and blood flew from his mouth.

Silvia, still enraged and ravenous, seized Batman's arm and wrenched it. The pop of the limb losing its socket filled her manic mind with pleasure. This seemed to only make Batman just as pissed off as she was...

He swung, locked his legs around Silvia's neck and pushed in opposite directions. Silvia gagged, and more blows caught the back of her head, sent from Batman's other hand.

The Dark Knight then raised a boot, planted it on Silvia's skull and shoved her off. She smacked directly into the jutting wall corner, tearing a hole in her mask and cutting her forehead open.

Batman promptly stood, bearing his bloodied teeth. He rammed his dislocated shoulder into a wall with a resounding crack, which sent his arm back into place. Silvia barrelled into her opponent with flurries of fists impacting on his torso.

She felt the cracking and caving of some ribs and heard the grunting that came with them.

Then, Batman slipped a hand into Silvia's belt, yanked the shiv free and dug it deep into Silvia's side. He shoved it so deep that its handle was embedded into her body, now invisible. Blood oozed from the wound, mixing with the water on her costume.

A haymaker landed on top of the stab wound, causing Silvia to scream. The man's bladed gauntlet then swiped up with blinding speed and sliced clean through Silvia's costume and gouged her chest. More of these cutting blows shredded at her arms, legs and abdomen... Batman was pulling all the stops.

Silvia's vision was fading...not from the injuries, but from the rage. Her instincts took hold of her.

Silvia, ignoring the painful blows, fastened a hand around Batman's neck and grappled him tightly. Batman didn't make it easy for her though. They rammed each other into the walls of the apartment tearing them up like crazed animals, until they plunged through another window and into the cold Gotham air.

The pair tumbled from the fourth floor...and as they did, Batman pulled and pushed, making sure that Silvia would be hitting the ground first...and she did.

It hurt so much that Silvia didn't make a single sound. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Batman, limp on top of her, rolled onto the wet pavement, huffing and panting.

Still...Silvia stood first. There was no holding back now. She stomped onto one of his knees, causing a clean break. Not a scream, but a low grunt answered. Her bloodied hand reached for her gun, but she forced the thought out of her head. She didn't kill good guys... She wasn't the monster they thought she was. She refused to be.

Not even pausing to look at her work, Silvia stumbled away down the street...dazed and barely conscious.

Fifteen minutes later and Silvia had only made it halfway to the station before she collapsed in an alleyway, blood pouring from her side and trickling from her mouth. "That bat jerk." She mumbled in her drowsiness. "I sure...showed him..."

Darkness started edging her vision. Everything was so blurry that when she saw a bright 'S' symbol she thought she was imagining things. "I can't believe you." Came the stern voice of Superman, quickly reminding her that she wasn't lucky enough for this to be a hallucination. "I thought we were passed this. You did so much good in Metropolis while I was away, and look at you now...bleeding out in an alleyway. I gave you a second chance...and you wasted it for what? Killing someone for a handful of cash?"

Silvia laughed. It wasn't genuine or even delusional, it was spiteful. Every breath of air was coated in venom, her anger having no other way to surface as her body failed. "Kill...?" Silvia scoffed then gasped at the pain jabbing at her side.

"Nightwing stopped you-"

"He saw me trying to arrest The Ventriloquist." Silvia didn't bother asking how he had found her, or how he had enough time to get the full story, everything impossible seemed probable with him. Silvia shifted but the pain only worsened and her vision darkened. "He just...assumed I was going to kill him...just like everyone else... Didn't even bother asking or trying to u-understand." Every word was riddled with agony; breathy and quiet.

Superman was nearly unseeable in her state but he was surprised, that much was clear.

Another laugh racked its way up, followed with a splatter of blood. He could tell when people were lying, or so she heard. It was just another thing to add to the long list of why he was a pain in the ass.

His assumptions had hurt her though. His words had splintered inside her like it usually did when people expected the worst of her. At the time it felt like it was causing more pain than the shiv still lunged in her side.

With her dwindling consciousness her filter disappeared, and she was left bare...emotional. Her defence mechanisms were gone and all that remained was raw truth. "You see the good in everyone else... You see it in the most pathetic people on the planet... I thought you saw it in me too...but when you look at me you see nothing." She paused, a shaky breath struggling through pierced lungs. "They say that you're the 'best of us'... But it's all bullshit. You're just like everyone else."

Another pause fell into silence before Superman finally spoke. "You're hurt. You need medical attention."

"My cells heal fast. Just leave me here."

"Not fast enough. That blade in your side needs to be removed."

"I couldn't kill him. I...wanted to. But I couldn't. And nobody gave a shit about that. I just get targeted by two of your...people and get fucked up. I should have killed him. Wouldn't have changed anything."

She could sense Superman's guilt through the quietness but she wasn't awake to see it. Soon after this her head lolled forward and her body fell limp against the brick wall. She was engulfed by darkness and then...nothing.


	13. Thirteen

**_Chapter Thirteen: Black and Blue_**

The hospital room was a concrete pen with a window the size of a biscuit tin lid. It had a stagnant smell, like it was cleaned with plain water instead of disinfectant. The bed sat low to the ground, the frame baring the signs of rust and the mattress worryingly thin. Silvia bit her lip. From the moment she woke up she had been assessing how to leave without alerting the nurses. Staying promised to be a slowly unfolding nightmare, one she didn't intend on enduring.

A white curtain kept her seperate from the other patients but the room itself looked like no hospital she had ever seen... and she'd been admitted into almost every medical centre in Metropolis.

Passed the dirty old beds, there was large machines and technology. All of which looked new and a little too advanced. From her right she could see someone walking over to her. A tall woman with caramel skin and dark brown hair. Around her shoulders was draped a large white coat, in her hands a few dozen papers.

"Reaper, is it?" She asked casually, flicking through the papers and glancing up through half-moon spectacles.

At first Silvia was shocked, hands reaching up to her face and breath hitching when she realised her mask was gone.

"The costume gave it away rather quickly, I'm afraid." The stranger said, pointing to a bunch of folded black clothes behind her. "There's no need to concern yourself. We at S.T.A.R Labs are under oaths of secrecy." Silvia barely had time to give a sigh of relief when the woman spoke again. "You took quite a beating."

"You should see the other guy." Silvia smirked almost proudly.

"I did..." The woman frowned in disapproval then returned to her papers. "Fractured sternum and internal bleeding caused by a blade buried on the right side of your body. Not to mention a concussion, broken collarbone and multiple lacerations. You're lucky Superman brought you in when he did. Those are some serious injuries, even by your standard."

"I would have managed without him." Silvia retorted stubbornly.

"Your body was working on the breaks and fractures but that blade would have killed you if left unchecked." The woman whipped a pen out and started ticking something on the opposite end of her documents. "You should thank him if you ever see him again."

Silvia bared her teeth in irritation. "Not going to happen, Lady." She forced herself to sit up, refusing the gasp that threatened to escape at the pain that shot up her side. "Look, I appreciate all your hard work and all, but I'll be going now."

The woman, unlike at most medical centres, didn't seem compelled to stop her. In fact, she nodded as if it were common for her patients to leave straight away. "Of course... though I would like to discuss the traces of chemical additives in your system before you leave."

Silvia's face instantly dropped, washed over with a numb expression. "I don't know what you're talking about." Her voice was monotone and harsher than before, as if daring the woman to continue... and she did.

"S.T.A.R Labs represents the forefront of metahuman research. Lying is a waste of time." Her brown eyes stared at Silvia, unintimidated and unblinking. "I've seen similar compounds in few others...but this variation was unstable and volatile. The kind of thing that was made in a garage rather than a lab. I'm sure you're aware of its poor quality."

Brow darkening, Silvia pushed out of the bed and begun gathering her things. Her back was turned to the woman for a long time, hiding the anger that flashed across her face. "That's none of your business."

"The moment you were brought here it became my business."

"Then the moment I leave it won't be." Silvia snapped back, yanking her costume from a nearby bench and beginning to march out.

"There's nothing we can do to counter it anyway." The woman called out behind her, determined to get a few words in before Silvia's departure. "But destroying your body for some delusion of power never ends well. I just hope that in future you accept that not everyone was born to be super... and that's not a bad thing. Altering your genetic make-up for a few enhanced abilities was foolish."

Finally, Silvia stopped and glared over her shoulder. Her blue eyes were no longer tranquil. The silver sheen had disappeared like metal melting in a furnace. "You know nothing about me." She hissed, tone laced with fury. The idea that anyone could think she'd do this to herself... It disgusted her.

Once outside the weather contradicted her emotions. Metropolis overflowed with generous sunshine and warmth, all sweetness and brilliant unfettered golden rays. However, this changed drastically the moment she returned to Southside. It was dark, brooding, resisting the sun, threatening to bring down a storm with every ounce of power at its disposal.

Silvia made it inside before she had time to care whether it would start raining or not. She limped in, holding her side with shaky breaths. Her other injuries seemed all but gone... This one was taking longer than most.

She had just sat down, groaning at the uncomfortable couch that did nothing to soothe her pain, when there was a knock on the door. Nothing could describe the sheer annoyance that covered her face. Why would someone visit her? She barely knew anyone.

And now of all times... A growl formed deep in Silvia's throat but curiosity compelled her to open the door.

When she did she was surprised but relief washed over her after weeks of worrying. "Clark..." She said, voice breathy and hollow. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Smallville..."

"Guess I had to come back at some stage, right?" Clark joked, adjusting his glasses. "Can I come in?"

Silvia, who had been using the door to hide behind, pulled it further open without thinking it through.

"How did you know I was in Smallville, Miss Stone?" Clark asked as he stepped into the apartment.

"Oh... Your boss told me..." Silvia lied, hoping that it would suffice... When Clark didn't deny his boss ever knowing about his trip home she figured that he believed her.

"Perry? When did you see-" The man trailed off the moment he turned to face her, stepping forward just as Silvia forced the door closed. "W-Wow, hey, are you alright? What happened?"

Silvia bit her lip. She hadn't looked at herself in the mirror yet but she could only assume that she looked like a mess. "It's n-nothing, really. Debris from a building fell on me during the attack on Metropolis... I'm fine now." She watched as Clark's eyes filled with concern and had to look away from the softness they exhibited. Before he had a chance to vocalise his concerns Silvia had spoken again, almost hurriedly as if she meant to cut him off. "I was looking for you. That's when I ran into your boss."

"You were looking for me?" Clark said, the hint of amusement in his voice only succeeding in frustrating Silvia further. "Were you... worried about me, Miss Stone?"

Silvia froze, gulping down the lump that had lodged itself in her throat at his words. "O-Of course not! I just thought... I thought th-that..." She rattled her brain for excuses, face growing hot and body slumping against the kitchen counter. "I th-thought that I should get a second copy of that interview off of you... If you died then this whole thing would have been a massive waste of my time."

There was a silence that lingered through the small room. One that had Silvia glancing up at the reporter, only to instantly regret it when she saw his lips quirk upward. "Well, that's a real shame because I was definitely worried about you."

The shock registered on her face slowly. First her eyes widened and stared at him as if she didn't quite catch what he had said, then her mouth parted enough to suck in a few small gasps of air. Her mind was the last to react. It lit up like a UV light, invisible thoughts suddenly plastered on her face. No one had ever cared to acknowledge her existence until recently, let alone like her enough to worry whether she was still breathing. Well... at least not for a very long time.

Silvia pushed back the stuttered words that wanted to escape. She tried to compose herself though her surprise was still painfully obvious. Somehow the thought of him caring unlocked something in her, stripped another layer away. Silvia took a deep inhale, knowing that she would regret being so vulnerable later... she always did. Yet she still stepped over to the window next to her couch and waved Clark over.

The reporter wasted no time, almost tripping over a loose nail on his way over.

"The last time we met... I may have overreacted when you asked how long I've lived in Suicide Slum." It was almost physically nauseating to force each word out. It wasn't exactly an apology but it was as close as she could get to one. The blonde pointed at the unimpressive view from her window. "See that gutter across the road?"

Clark nodded and raised his eyebrow in succession. It was apparent that he was just as confused as he was interested in what she had to say.

"That's where I was born." Silvia leaned against the sill, forehead tapping lightly onto the glass and resting there. She appeared lost for a moment, memories clouding her mind that she had blocked out for years. "I came one week early. My mom had to rely on the help of strangers to deliver me, thankfully there were a few there that weren't too drugged up to help."

The gutter she had pointed to was filthy, riddled in gunk and appeared to have not been washed down in decades. Clark remained quiet but glanced in her direction. She was still lost on the curb outside, mind elsewhere. "My mom told me that story as if it were something to be proud of. She believed, like most parents I suppose, that I was destined to change things. To do some good in the world... but I never left the slums."

The hurt that riddled Silvia's face softened Clark's expression even further. As she pushed herself away from the window, feeling rather idiotic for sharing something so personal, Clark finally decided to speak. "Where you're from doesn't determine what you do with your life, Miss Stone. Trust me, I know."

Silvia crossed her arms and in an instant he could see her walls building themselves up again. "You're from Kansas, Dorothy. What exactly did they deprive you of?"

Clark chuckled. "Do you know how many reporters come from Smallville, Miss Stone? I'm the first."

Silvia's face cracked into a smile, one that Clark had never seen grace her features before. It was genuine, almost sweet. Then she laughed. Not cruelly or ironically... The sound was so real that he could hear a slight snort within each breath. For those brief few minutes he had seen deeper into her than anyone else had, and even when her laughter died and she instantly closed back up, he couldn't help but be amazed at the contrast.

Silvia sighed, embarrassment riddling a red flush across her cheeks. She hardened her expression once more and when she finally looked back at him her eyes had lost all their previous light. "If you put any of that in your article I'll kill you, and I don't mean that figuratively." She said coldly, but with none of the sternness that she wanted. "I'm hungry. The least you could do is go get us some food after coming here uninvited."

Despite her intentions being to sound demanding, even her voice rang softer now. Clark smiled. "What do you feel like?"

"Chinese." Silvia stated simply. "Just don't get it from around here, we'll both develop food poisoning before we can finish it."

"Don't worry, Miss Stone. I know a place."

When Clark left the apartment and turned out of Southside, Silvia was left unaware of just how far this 'place' was. By the time he had flown back from China he had barely been gone ten minutes... and most of that was spent waiting for them to cook the food. He had done this for many others before; Lois, Jimmy, Kat, even Perry once though he hadn't asked for it. They were always astonished at how fresh the food was.

Due to the positive reviews he'd usually get from people he acquired authentic Chinese food for, Clark appeared rather confident in his choice of restaurants. He walked straight into the apartment, without so much as a knock this time, and stumbled to the couch where Silvia was sitting uncomfortably.

"That was fast." She said, taking the small cardboard box Clark held out to her.

"Y-Yeah, there was no line... Guess I got lucky."

Silvia wasn't entirely sure if she believed him, but with no other explanation coming to mind, she motioned for him to sit beside her and opened the box of fried rice. Her stomach rumbled and she dug in, completely ignoring the chopsticks that she had no idea how to use and opting for a fork instead.

Clark, on the other hand, appeared to be having no problem with the chopsticks. It was hard to imagine that someone as clumsy as he was could use them so effortlessly. He looked over at her, smiling broadly as if waiting for a reaction to the food. Silvia pouted. "I don't like it."

Clark's face fell.

"I don't like prawns." She poked at the seafood with a repulsed look then begun picking them out and dropping them in Clark's food. "Here, you have them."

The reporter did nothing to stop her but wore a rather sour expression during the whole meal. It looked a little like he was sulking. Once Silvia finished her meal she placed it down and huffed "It...wasn't that bad without the prawns."

Clark, at first, looked a little unsure. He was confused at the drastic change of opinion, but eventually he smiled again. He had started realising that Silvia had her own ways of thanking him, even if she never said it outright.

Silvia was an extremely difficult person, but layer by layer, Clark was starting to understand her. Maybe he could still change her... somehow. "You know there's an opening at the Daily Planet if you were ever looking for work."

"Pfft." Silvia scoffed. "I'm no reporter."

"Really? That's too bad, Miss Stone...because I've already secured you a test run."

"What?!" In an instant the girl had jumped to her feet, panting and glaring at him. "Who told you I would ever be interested in such a stupid job?!"

Clark laughed in amusement, seeming less affected by her rage the more he got to know her. "Just assumed that you needed the money."

"Of course I don't! I'm perfectly well off-" Behind her came a crumbling sound, tiny sections of the roof falling to the floor and the rest looking like it might cave in at any second...luckily she was on the top floor.

Clark raised an eyebrow and his lips formed a tight line, trying not to laugh at the irony. The large man jumped to his feet. "I'll see you Friday then." He grabbed their rubbish and threw it in the bin before sauntering over to the door. "Oh, and pack your bag, we'll be gone a few days."

Silvia's hands curled into fists. "W-Wait! I never said I'd do it-" but he was descending the staircase, pretending that he was too far down to hear her. Silvia's blood boiled. "Jerk!" She yelled even louder but all she got in response was a knock on the wall from one of her neighbours. The girl hissed at the sound and marched back into her room, slamming the door shut only for it to fall off of its hinges again...maybe she really did need the money.


	14. Fourteen

**_Chapter Fourteen: Solar Powered_**

The backpack was old denim, deeply unfashionable and too big for her shoulders. She crammed it full of clothes and other essentials until it was near bursting then hauled it onto her bed. She assumed that Clark was going to pick her up, otherwise there was no way she was going.

Despite how little she wanted to do this she was starting to enjoy his company... though she would never admit that out loud. The knock on her door had Silvia rushing to her feet. They barely had time to knock again before the door was pulled open.

Silvia's eyes widened in surprise at the orange-skinned alien grinning at her within plain sight. "Oh Reaper, Hello!" Kori chimed happily... and loudly.

Silvia, without a moments hesitation, grabbed the much taller girl's arm and pulled her inside. The door was forced shut and she swivelled around to glare at Kori. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"I have come to celebrate our blossoming friendship!" She replied with a giggle. "Perhaps I could help you with the murdering!"

Silvia stared at her in absolute bewilderment. She wasn't sure if she'd ever met someone so incredibly clueless before. Of course most of this could probably be blamed on the fact that she was an alien with no idea of their customs... but that only made her an even bigger mystery to Silvia.

"N-No... I don't do that anym-... Do you even know what that mea-" Her mind was reeling with questions, but through her clashing feelings towards the green eyed girl, she tried to simplify it to the most important inquiries. "How did you know where I live?"

"Cyborg told me!" She chirped. "He is very knowledgable."

"I'm sure he is... That still doesn't give you the right to show up without warning..." Silvia sighed, already exhausted by the other girl's oblivious nature. "And you have to stop calling me Reaper without my mask on... Do you even have a secret identity?"

Kori begun wandering around the apartment, eyes full of curiosity with everything she saw. "Oh, I did have one! But people seemed to notice me even without my costume on, the people of Earth are very observant!"

"You mean all you did was wear a different outfit?... You really thought that was going to work?" Silvia rolled her eyes, groaning in irritation. "You're a giant orange alien with no pupils, it's a little hard to miss."

Kori turned for barely a second, smile widening at her words. "Aww thank you. That is very sweet."

"Wh-What?" Silvia stuttered, taken back by Kori's reaction. "That wasn't meant as a compliment..."

Never had anyone so successfully dodged her insults before. Even now Kori was ignoring her previous words and pointing at a framed vial instead. "Ooh, what's this?"

"It's nothing." Silvia replied blandly, but the minute Kori had poked it she was rushing over and shielding it. "Stop that! Reginald's been through enough!"

Kori pulled her hand away but, without even stopping for a breath, she dashed to the other side of the room and picked up an old shotgun. "These are quite fascinating! They contain tiny metal creatures that fly through the air." She said, bringing the barrel up to her face and peering inside. "Hello friends! It is me, Starfire!"

Her long finger reached for the trigger, and Silvia tripped over a table in the centre of the room in her panic. Just as Kori had pushed down on it, Silvia had nudged the barrel upwards and the bullet shot right through her roof.

Bits of ashphalt sprinkled on top of them from the now even further damaged roof. Kori smiled. Silvia growled and yanked the gun away. "Alright, Kori or Starfire or... whatever the hell you call yourself. Listen carefully because I will not repeat myself. Those are not 'creatures' they're bullets, inanimate objects. They cannot hear you. They cannot understand you. They can kill you though... Well, I have no fucking idea if they can kill you specifically but they are dangerous."

Kori seemed almost saddened by this news. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout and her eyes enlarged like a child that was just told that Santa wasn't real.

"Second," Silvia continued "we are not friends. I don't know what I've done to give you that impression but I assure you that it's false. I don't have friends. I don't need friends. And if I ever decided to make one, you would not be my first choice."

Kori's expression remained much the same, that is until she raised her hand as if she'd suddenly understood what Silvia was saying. Her eyes glistened again and her mouth stretched back into its natural smile. "Oh! You mean because we have not engaged in the 'getting to know one another' or the 'girl talk'. That is exactly why I have come to visit!"

"No! That's not what I-... Are you even listening to me?"

Her question was answered the moment Kori started talking again, jumping onto the couch joyfully and wiggling in a failed effort to get comfortable. "Shall we begin with the exchanging of recent events?"

Silvia groaned in defeat. "You really couldn't have come at a worse time... If I do this will you please leave?"

"Yes, I promise!" Kori patted the spot beside her and Silvia slumped into it.

Silence pierced the air, and in the utter quiet, Starfire was staring at her with wide, glowing green eyes. It made Silvia so uncomfortable that she was forced to speak. "W-Well... That attack on Metropolis was probably the biggest thing that happened to me... After that I went to Gotham, beat up a hot ninja guy and realised the extent of my hatred for Batman. Okay, done. Can you go now?"

But Kori didn't seem ready to leave yet. She straightened up and grinned. "You ran into an aesthetically attractive person of the opposite sex?" She appeared excited by this, voice rising in pitch until it was almost ringing in Silvia's ears. "I too know a male from Gotham that is pleasing to the eye! We were in the 'Teen Titans' together. I believe he goes by Nightwing now, but his name use to resemble a very small insectivorous passerine bird."

It took about two minutes for Silvia to decode what Kori had just said. She sat there staring at her, mind working in overdrive in an attempt to understand. The way she spoke was so odd... Silvia would never get use to it. "Umm... Nightwing?" She said slowly as if she wasn't entirely sure if this was the right answer.

"Yes!" Starfire answered.

"You mean the 'hot ninja guy' that I beat up..."

"Yes!" She repeated with just as much enthusiasm. It took a while for it to sink in, and finally when Silvia thought she'd never get it, Kori's face dropped. "O-Oh... You hurt him?"

She sounded incredibly upset by this news but Silvia simply stood up and walked toward the door. "Yeah, probably. It's time for you to go."

Before she could even reach for the rusted handle she felt something heating up in the room. Her back felt like it was pressed up against a fireplace and the sheer surprise made her turn around. Right in front of her was Starfire; eyes glowing brighter than before, teeth clenched together, and the ends of her long red hair burning in flames but never getting any shorter.

She marched closer to Silvia and stuck her index finger in the air to point at her. "You... You..." Her voice was strained, and Silvia suddenly got the feeling she was going to get beaten half to death... But instead Starfire yelled "You are not a very nice person!" As if it were the biggest insult she could give.

Silvia blinked at her then raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, glad you're finally catching on."

Starfire huffed and within seconds she was gone, flying out of her window in fury. Silvia would've been concerned about people seeing an alien leave her apartment but most people in the Slums were too drugged up to be taken seriously.

Not even a second later there was a loud bang that had Silvia jumping ten feet in the air and turning with her fists raised, ready for a fight.

Quickly, her arms fell back to her side when she saw a dorky looking Clark smiling awkwardly in the doorway. "H-Hey... Sorry 'bout that." Silvia's head tilted to the side in confusion before he motioned towards the door that was laying flat on the ground. "You really need to... uh... get that fixed."

The blonde rolled her eyes and heaved her backpack onto her shoulders. She held onto the straps firmly to stop them from sliding off. "Let's just get this over with."

She marched passed him, almost reaching the door before he grabbed her arm. She spun around with an irritated look. Clark laughed. "I don't think you want to go out like that." He reached his hand toward her and the girl automatically flinched at the gesture. Her eyes scrunched closed and she looked, for a split second, like a vulnerable child waiting for a beating. Clark frowned, seemingly bothered by her reaction but continuing until his hand grazed against her hair.

Silvia's eyes snapped open only to see asphalt sprinkling around her. Each movement of Clark's hand conjured up more, slowly thinning until there was only the occasional few. His hand moved down to her cheek and the girl finally spoke. "H-Hey, stop that!" She stuttered, face turning several shades of pink.

Clark simply chuckled and brushed the remaining dust from her face. He glanced up to the roof, obviously realising what it was from. "Your place really is falling apart."

"How observant of you, Dorothy." Silvia groaned, pushing his hand away and trying to ignore how fast her heart was beating. "Are we just gonna stand around here all day talking about how poor I am?"

Clark's smile didn't falter, but he stepped aside and motioned towards the doorway. "After you then, Miss Stone."

As they left, Clark managed to temporarily fix the door... At least so that she didn't get robbed while they were away. Then she followed him onto a rather clean-looking bus. It was the complete opposite to what she was use to; new, polished, fast, and without a single mark of graffiti on it.

"We're flying to a research station in the Arctic shelf, where Superman will be assisting the scientists with installing a probe rod into the ice, so they can closer observe the tectonic activity and its impact on the ice shelves." Clark explained on the way to the airport.

Silvia tensed. "S-Superman? I don't... Can I go back?" She muttered, suddenly sounding even more annoyed. Why was he absolutely everywhere she went?

"Bit too late now." Clark said with a grin. "Most people would be eager to see Superman at work. I'm guessing you're more of a Batman fan?"

Silvia turned up her nose at him. "Batman's a little bitch."

A noise got caught in Clark's throat, like a laugh that he forced back down. "I... uh... never noticed."

"Yes you have." Silvia replied, slumping further down in her seat. "Most people interpret it as him being 'cool' and 'mysterious' but he's really just a giant asshole playing dress-up."

"And Superman?"

"He's just... annoyingly perfect."

Clark glanced at her, and she could have sworn that she saw a hint of surprise in his expression. He said nothing about it though, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and clearing his throat. "Well, anyway, it'll just be the four of us this time. You, Lois and I will be writing seperate articles on different parts of the operation and Jimmy will be taking the pictures."

She instantly remembered Jimmy as the annoying guy that kept clicking his watch during the attack and tried to conceal her groan. Lois, for some unknown reason, took a little longer for her to recall. Clark passed her a newspaper, already turned to a specific page. On the top right hand corner it read 'written by Lois Lane'.

"She's won awards for her work. She's pretty professional but something tells me you two will get along." He spoke about her with a gleam in his eye. One that made Silvia sulk. She didn't know why his affections for Lois would suddenly make her so annoyed, but they did... and she hated it.

Silvia tried to ignore the sudden, unwelcome feeling by focusing on the article in front of her... the title only managed to make her even angrier though. 'Reaper saves the Daily Planet Staff during the attack on Metropolis.'

Her growl was audible this time, and she tossed the newspaper back at Clark as if she was eager to get it as far from her as possible.

"...Not a big fan of Reaper either?" Clark asked, this time sounding a little hesitant.

"Guess not." Was her only reply. She was a murderer. Someone criminals feared. The last thing she needed was an article praising her on some 'heroic deed'.


	15. Fifteen

**_Chapter Fifteen: Welcome to the Planet_**

From the window of the plane the wing engine was semi-illuminated, the lower half shining around the rim, the upper half several shades darker. As the plane dipped the line between shadow and light moved, and the hum of the rotors vibrated through their ears.

No matter how salubrious the furnishings inside the airplane were, to Silvia it would never be more than a flying metal tube... One that she was not comfortable trusting her life with.

Silvia's nails dug into the arm rests, eyes forced shut and jaw tensing with every jolt the plane gave. This was her first time flying and probably her last.

Next to her sat Jimmy Olsen, a rather tall boy with flaming red hair and freckles dotted around his face. He still wore that stupid watch but, thankfully, hadn't been clicking it like last time. On the opposite side, facing her, was Clark and beside him was Lois Lane. They hadn't said much to each other yet but she now remembered her from the attack on Metropolis.

Silvia took a deep breath, refusing to look so restless in front of people she barely knew...and especially not in front of Clark.

"I hope you're as good as Clark says you are." Lois finally spoke, only sparing a small glance up from her notepad. "You're representing the Daily Planet now. It's a huge responsibility."

Silvia rolled her eyes but, for Clark's sake, didn't talk back. She simply crossed her arms and pretended to be looking out the window.

"Trust me, Lois." Clark replied. "I'm surprised the Daily Star hasn't snatched her up yet."

Silvia fidgeted nervously in her seat. Clark had never even seen her write before... let alone an article. He was doing all of this for her and it was making her feel extremely uneasy. No one had ever given her a chance before, so it was completely unheard of for someone to stick their neck out for her. It not only filled her with a sense of dread, fear of the inevitable conclusion of her letting him down, but with a stronger attachment to him.

The plane ride was torturously long. Silvia opted to sleeping through most of it just so she wouldn't be a part of the awkward silence, no doubt caused by her.

Once they had landed Silvia was the first to leave. She pushed to her feet and rushed out as if she feared the plane would take off again with her inside.

The biting cold instantly chilled her fingers into clumsy numbness, seeping into her shoes and spreading painfully throughout her feet as if they were bare against the pristine icy whiteness rather than covered with sneakers. Her lips turned a more blueish hue and her teeth chattered as the others followed her outside.

The frigid wind poked her like icy fingers and wrapped around her like a shawl woven from the snow itself as they begun to walk through the frozen wasteland. Lois was leading them, pure determination etched on her face. Silvia was right at the end, shivering relentlessly.

"This should do." Lois said, stopping a few metres away from the research station. "We'll camp here."

"W-W-We're camping?!" Silvia stuttered, hugging herself in an attempt to get warmer. "We'll freeze to d-death!"

"Not if you start on the fire." Lois replied more like a demand than anything. "You've got to learn a little initiative!"

Though she was forcing a stern face, Silvia could tell that Lois was even colder than she was. Jimmy didn't even try to hide it and was already taking out logs from his bag for the fire. Clark, surprisingly, didn't look the least bit affected by it.

"I'll go ask the scientists when Superman should be showing up." Lois spoke again, beginning to trudge towards the research station. She seemed a little too eager that Superman was going to show up. "Jimmy, I may need some photos of the station."

The freckled boy dropped the wood, giving them an almost apologetic look before grabbing his equipment and dashing after Lois. Clark watched them go, the hint of a smile on his lips. It had been obvious since they met up with the other two that Clark was absolutely infatuated with Lois... almost like a puppy following her around. However, Lois didn't even give him a second thought.

"So, do you know how to build a fire?" Clark asked in his awkward tone.

Silvia gulped. "I'm sure it's not that d-difficult."

The blonde dug her knees into the snow and started piling the wood together. She had survived the Kryptonian attack, a fight with robots and with Batman. Surely she could survive a little cold and start a simple fire... or so she thought. Once she had stacked up the logs she had tried lighting it with the matches Jimmy unpacked but the wind kept blowing it out.

Silvia groaned. "S-Stupid fucking thing..."

"Here, let me try." Clark offered, getting down beside her. "Could you get another log?"

Silvia nodded and turned her back to him. By the time she had hauled up a particularly heavy log she turned around only to find the fire burning brightly. "Sorry, guess I didn't need it." Clark chuckled.

Silvia stared at him skeptically but she was too cold to question any source of warmth. The slab of wood was quickly discarded and Silvia rushed over to the fire. She stretched her hands out and sighed at the tingling sensation that burned away the numbness.

"So, how long have you liked Lois?" Silvia finally said once her voice had returned from her frozen vocal chords.

Clark sounded like he was choking on nothing but air. His head whipped around to her and his mouth fell open in surprise. "I-I... We're just friends."

"Obviously." Silvia rolled her eyes. "But not by your choice. If you're going to play dumb at least make it a little less noticeable."

Silence suddenly hung in the air. It was poisonous in it's nothingness, cruelly underscoring how vapid their conversation had become. Silvia would usually find herself unbothered by the quiet, but this time it tore at her. "So... while we're waiting you should tell me more about Smallville." Silvia forced out, trying to fill the silence with a more casual conversation.

"You... really want to hear about that?" Clark asked in bewilderment.

"Wouldn't have asked if I didn't, Dorothy."

Clark's mouth broke into an amused smile. "Is that nickname going to become a common occurrence with you?"

"You are from Kansas, right?" Silvia asked and Clark nodded. "Then yes. You even have your little sidekicks, by the looks of it. Jimmy's the cowardly lion and Lois is the heartless 'tin man'."

"Doesn't that make you the brainless scarecrow?..."

Silvia paused. "Wait... N-No... Shut up..."

Clark laughed and the sound almost made Silvia do the same. They sat there for about twenty minutes in front of the fire, mostly spent listening to stories of Clark's childhood home. Silvia felt a little envious of his small country town and his loving parents, but she tried not to let it show.

Finally, Lois came marching back with Jimmy not far behind. She had a grin plastered on her face and her make-up had been newly reapplied, even her hair looked much neater than before. "Superman should be arriving soon!" She chimed and Silvia detected excitement in her tone. "We'd better work out our different parts."

"I'll do an article on the scientists and get their statements on everything." Clark quickly said as if he'd already planned to have that part.

"Good. Then I'll handle the interview with Superman." Lois said in the same way, cheeks flashing pink.

"I don't know Lois... Maybe Silvia should do that part. She's new, after all, we should give her the easiest job." Clark tried to reason with her but the mere thought had Lois becoming defensive.

"He knows me. He'd obviously be more comfortable talking to someone he's already spoken to over a complete stranger." Lois crossed her arms. This was apparently not negotiable. "And besides, if she's as good as you say then we shouldn't need to take it easy on her."

"But-" Clark started but was quickly interrupted by Silvia.

"It's alright. It's not like I wanted to interview Metropolis' golden boy anyway." Silvia took out a tattered piece of paper and an old, broken pen. "In fact, I'd prefer to be as far away from him as possible. Just tell me what you want me to write about."

Lois looked a little annoyed by the way Silvia spoke about Superman and Jimmy was simply shocked, but luckily Clark managed to pull them together and inform her on what exactly she was meant to be doing. "The only thing that's left is an overview of the whole operation. Just watch what he's doing and write about it."

"Alright... I can do that." She replied, not at all convincingly.

"You'll do great." Clark reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling like he had all the confidence in the world that she'd succeed. "I'd better start interviewing the scientists. You stay here, Superman should be here soon."

The blonde nodded and not even a second later Clark was running towards the research station. Next to her, Lois was getting jittery. Her eyes darted across the skies in search of the Man of Steel. She didn't have to wait long. Soon the scientists were hurrying out of the building, Clark no where in sight, and Superman was darting over the giant, snow-covered mountains.

No one else seemed to notice the bespectacled reporters absence, and though Silvia was a little worried, she decided that there were probably more people remaining inside that he was interviewing. He hadn't been gone very long, after all, there was no reason for concern.

Superman was essentially a blur of blue and red to Silvia. She barely saw anything that he was attempting to do. There was a moment when ice from a glacier flew in different directions as he drilled into it with nothing but his hands. He had placed something inside that visibly stuck out like a thin pole, but after that he was finished. If Silvia had blinked at all during it she would have missed it.

The scientists had quickly walked over to Superman as soon as he flew closer, all shaking his hand with words of praise. Lois swiftly followed suit, a slight skip in her step despite the thick snow. Superman seemed to light up at the sight of her. It was revolting.

From where she was standing, Silvia could hear every painful detail. Lois was trying to ask fairly basic questions but kept tripping over herself and breaking into giddy giggles. Superman was provoking this reaction with a proud smile. Surprisingly, Silvia could tell that Superman's feelings for the black haired reporter were genuine... However, she couldn't help but question Lois'.

Before Superman left, Lois gave a mumbled "When will I see you again?"

"I'll be around." He replied with his bright smile and disappeared back into the air.

Lois sighed in awe and Silvia scoffed. He hadn't even answered her question, not really anyway. How could she swoon at a reply that vague?

Even worse was that she was stuck dealing with a spaced out Lois until Clark returned half an hour later. He had a page full of notes and quotes from the scientists, ones that were well written and carefully placed... unlike hers.

"You completely missed it, C.K!" Jimmy yelled, flicking through the photos on his camera. "Superman was just here."

"Oh, really?" Clark rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "Gee, I was really hoping to catch him this time."

"It's Superman..." Silvia said indifferently. "You didn't miss much."

Jimmy blinked at her, still amazed at how little she seemed to care. Lois, on the other hand, was burning up. Her face was so red with fury that Silvia near expected steam to start coming out of her ears.

"What is your problem?!" She suddenly roared, hands rolled into fists at her side.

Silvia smirked. "I've got a whole list. Where should I begin?"

"Stop being a smart ass!" She yelled even louder than before. "From the moment we arrived here you've taken every opportunity possible to insult Superman. I won't sit around and let you talk about him that way."

Silvia hissed, face scrunching at how close Lois was. It was like the reporter was trying to be intimidating... It didn't work. "Like you're any better?" She retorted. "With your misguided infatuation with him?"

Lois backed away, eyes widening. "I... don't kn-know what you're talking about..."

"Yes you do." Silvia continued, brow darkening and expression hardening. "You're leading the poor guy on, and what's worse is that you don't even know you're doing it."

The wind that blew against them seemed colder in the silence that followed but Silvia barely felt it against her numb skin anymore. Lois looked more than outraged; she appeared utterly insulted.

"How dare you..." She spat. "You know nothing about us."

"Oh really?" Silvia laughed ironically, the sound was colder than the snow at their feet. "Well then, please enlighten me. What exactly do you know about him?"

"W-Well he's not from Earth-"

"I didn't ask for public knowledge. I mean what do you know about him that no one else does? What do you know that someone else can't just go and read about?"

Lois hesitated.

"Exactly." Silvia shook her head. "Look, I may not be a massive fan of Superman... but he saved me once. I feel like I owe him enough to make sure you actually like him... and not just what he represents."

"Alright, you're outta line. This is none of your business, so just shove it!"

"I don't think a reporter gets to decide what is and isn't my business." Silvia put her hands on her hips and blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Okay, let's put it this way. If Superman really does care about you like I'm sure he does, don't you think he would have approached you without the suit already? You likely either brushed him off or didn't like what you saw."

"That would never happen!"

"Really? Even if he was someone like Jimmy?" Silvia pointed at the freckled boy who wasn't sure whether to be offended or grateful. "Or, fuck it, what if he was someone like Clark? Would you instantly think differently of him just because he's Superman?"

Clark stiffened on the spot and gave the most awkward laugh to date. Lois looked at him and scoffed. "Clark? Are you kidding me?"

"I know, Clark's a little too interesting to be that stick in the mud." Silvia huffed and Clark's gaze darted toward her. "But I'm being serious. Under that suit he's just a man... You can't love someone if you know absolutely nothing about them. You're attracted to his power, I get it, but what if you find out that he's nothing like you expected?"

"You really think I'm that shallow?" Lois growled.

The question was rhetorical but Silvia answered anyway. "You were dating Lex at one stage, I remember reading about it... Don't try and tell me that you were interested in anything but his power." Silvia sighed at the look of fury worsening on Lois' face. "I'm not trying to start a fight... but you need to see that what you're feeling isn't love... Alright, let's try again. What do you think makes Superman so powerful? Why is he so influential to people?"

Jimmy jumped up this time, arm in the air and a grin on his face. "Did you not see what he did just then?! He friggen punched through solid ice!"

"I wasn't asking you."

Jimmy gulped and sat back down. Lois crossed her arms, fed-up with the constant questions. She couldn't help but feel like she was getting a taste of her own medicine. "What do you want me to do? State all of his powers one by one?"

"See? You're already looking in the wrong place." Silvia stepped back, starting to feel the cold even more now that the fire was starting to die. "What makes Superman so powerful is that, despite being from another planet, he's more human than most people here on Earth. He believes in people, he believes in giving second chances. As much as I hate his guts, he's a better person than I am... than most people are."

Silence suddenly filled the air once more. Jimmy had a glow in his eyes, one that instantly agreed with what Silvia had to say. Lois looked almost upset, not just at Silvia, but at herself... and Clark was simply staring like the blonde had morphed into a completely different person right in front of him.

"I'm not trying to get between you two, I usually wouldn't care less." Silvia begun to finish, a little winded and embarrassed after the long speech. "I'm just saying that instead of putting him on a giant golden pedestal, you should remember that he's just a man. Instead of waiting for him to sweep you off your feet and take you to some stupid fucking fairytale land, you should get to know him as a person."

The quiet atmosphere didn't last long this time, not with Lois still standing there. "... He deserves our praise. He deserves the pedestal."

"But he deserves scrutiny whenever he messes up too, right?" Silvia's voice lowered in exhaustion, seemingly sick of having to repeat herself. "This isn't about what he fucking deserves... It's about what he needs. If you can give him some form of normality then I truly do hope that you feel the same way when you get to know him... but right now you're only contributing to the problem. You write about him like he's some God that we should be honoured to be in the presence of, and people have started viewing him like that... but as soon as something goes wrong he's the one that takes the blame."

"I have never blamed him for anything!" Lois yelled so rawly that her throat scratched with each word.

"It doesn't matter, your constant swooning is exactly why people get pissy when they discover that he's not perfect. You only ever write about what he can do and what he should do... Never about what he may have to give up to do it. You write about him as a superior being, not as a person." Silvia bit her lip, starting to regret having ever started this conversation. It wasn't like she cared about the giant Boy Scout anyway. Silvia glanced down at her notes and felt a twinge of disgust in herself... What was she doing here? "I don't want anything to do with this." She whispered, ripping up the paper and tossing it into the dulling flames.

The wind howled, piling up snow in drifts, blinding the oncoming night with ice-white dust. Silvia walked away from the group, bent over against the cold and hoping to get as far away as possible. As she went Clark couldn't take his eyes off of her. In mere minutes he had viewed her in a new light. It was like he was only just seeing her for the first time... and she was much more than he had expected.

No one had ever understood him in such a profound way before... She, in just a few months, had stripped his soul bare and seen what others ignored. Never had she looked so beautiful to him, and never had her heart been so revealed.


	16. Sixteen

**_Chapter Sixteen: Frost Bite_**

In the wasteland of white there was nothing for Silvia's mind to hang on to. There was no familiar sight, no sound other than the howling of wind, even her enhanced durability was no match for cold this severe. Only her hearts rapid beating stopped her from becoming as frozen as the ground she walked on.

When Silvia whirled around to at least see the tracks she had made, there were none. The only way to navigate was by the sun and it was already sinking below the horizon, leaving her shivering under the stars.

She was starting to regret leaving the little camp they had set up, but she had to get away. She was becoming too involved in these matters... She should have never opened her mouth.

The snow she was trudging through kept getting thicker the longer she walked until it clung around her kneecaps and left her practically dragging her legs through it. The moment she reached the edge of the mountain Silvia took the opportunity to sit down.

The freezing cold stuck to her skin and her clothes but she tried desperately to ignore it. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she'd die out there and not have to deal with the awkward plane ride home. The girl trembled, teeth chattering and arms wrapping around herself in an attempt to keep warm.

The last thing she expected was for someone to appear from beneath the mountain, floating over the gaping hole with a broad smile and their arms crossed. Silvia jumped at the sudden sight, almost tilting off the edge in the process.

"What the fuck?!" Silvia yelled in a panicked tone, hand grasping the fabric over her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Superman's smile widened. "I'm glad I didn't, then."

"Yeah? Well maybe next time you can announce yourself." Silvia took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her rapidly beating heart. Her lungs wheezed in her chest, rattling against the vicious cold. "What are you still doing here anyway?"

"I had to make sure the probe was properly installed and that nobody had any...accidents out here. This environment can be harsh."

Silvia tried to concentrate on the man but with him hovering over such a steep drop, it was hard to look anywhere but over the mountains edge. "That still doesn't explain why you followed me."

"It does. By this stage you'll be an icicle before you get the chance to head back." Superman didn't look the least bit bothered by the temperature, even in his unbelievably thin costume. Silvia wasn't even surprised anymore. "I know that we've never been introduced but I'm here to help."

"Yeah... If you don't count locking me in jail as an introduction." Silvia rolled her eyes when Superman feigned confusion. "Don't play dumb. I knew you could see through my mask when you met me."

For a moment Superman didn't look entirely sure if to be surprised or not. Eventually he seemed to accept it though, giving a shrug all too casual for someone in midair. "Well, for future reference, I can't see through lead."

"A little too late to be telling me that." Silvia's lips struggled to move now without quivering. "Unless you're planning on looking through the rest of my clothes. I wouldn't suggest it though - you may be made out of steel or whatever but I _will_ find a way to kick your crotch from your body."

Usually, this would elicit a rather horrified reaction from a man... Sometimes they'd even make a sound in their throat as if they were choking at the thought of it. Superman, however, simply laughed off the threat as if he were growing used to her remarks.

"I do have _some_ morals to uphold." He said just as the winds were worsening. It still didn't phase him; he was the only stable thing in the sky. "You don't have to worry, I have no interest in that."

Silvia's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure whether to be offended or not."

Before Superman could reply Silvia gave a small sneeze. The cold was finally getting to her. It felt like small fragments of snow had been breathed into her nostrils and travelled into her lungs; even her insides were beginning to feel the chill.

"I should take you back, you're not looking well." Superman finally said, previous amusement boiling down to concern.

Silvia snickered as she got to her feet. "You?... No thanks. I can get there myself." She turned and begun struggling through the snow. "If that's the only reason you came up here then you wasted your time. I do have legs, ya know?"

"It's not the only reason." He replied quickly, stopping Silvia in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder curiously and Superman flew closer to the mountains edge. "I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Silvia sounded genuinely confused now. She had no idea what she had done to warrant his gratitude.

His red boots finally touched the ground, sinking at least a few centre metres into the snow. "I heard what you said back there."

Silvia's expression turned to one of instant regret and horror. "Of course you fucking did... I can't do anything without you sticking your nose in."

"It's not like I listened on purpose." Superman was smirking now, previous worry seeming to disappear for a second. "Typically, whenever I hear your voice I try my best to zone out."

"With how often you end up in the exact same place as me, I seriously doubt that." Silvia muttered, but it was impossible to say anything without that overpowered jerk hearing it.

Superman chose to ignore her words and continued what he was trying to say. "But this time you were right. It shouldn't have taken Lois so long to realise that I'm more than just this suit... and it shouldn't have been you that had to tell her."

Despite their differences, Silvia could tell that he was hurting. She sighed, starting to feel guilty about the whole thing. "Look, for what it's worth, I hope things work out between you two. M-Maybe now she'll be i-interested in talking to you about something other than 'Superman'."

"Only problem is I'm not sure if it'll mean as much now. She'll only be doing it because you told her to." He crossed his arms, still not feeling the increasing blizzard. "It's... unfortunate, but I'm glad it happened now rather than later."

"Y-You mean... you're b-breaking things off with h-her?" Silvia's teeth were starting to chatter, forcing her to stumble over words. She was more focused on Superman though... She'd seen pictures of him and Lois kissing floating around the internet - which was disgusting by the way. Still, she couldn't help but feel bad for getting between that.

"I'm not sure yet. It isn't a decision to be taken lightly." Superman's gaze was stuck on the girl, more in concentration than simple staring. He was probably assessing how badly the cold was affecting her; all things considered she was handling it fairly well. "But thank you for bringing it up anyway. Maybe I've been misjudging you."

Silvia's shivering barely left room for the scoffing sound she tried to make. It came out sounding more like a snort. "D-Don't start getting all s-sappy. You've 'judged' me just f-fine, I only brought it u-up because I hate owing people sh-shit." Her jaw tensed to try and stop the unsanctioned shaking but it only made it louder. She held out her hand; colour had all but vanished from her skin. "I guess th-this makes us even, r-right?"

Superman stared at her outstretched hand and smiled. "You never owed me anything."

She wasn't sure how to feel about his words. This made the whole situation incredibly awkward. Silvia gave a heavy sigh that trembled in her throat and produced a large gust of mist from her mouth. "J-Just shake my damn hand."

"How about I take you back instead?" He said with a smirk. He wasn't going to let her brush off his gratitude like she did with everything else.

"Did you not hear me before? I said n-" before she could finish her sentence she felt something tug her in the opposite direction. There was an almighty blast of wind that almost suffocated her but it barely lasted a second.

The moment it ceased her surroundings had changed. Granted, it was hard to make out any differences in such a place, but the fire that now burned brightly in front of her was enough. Jimmy was flicking through more of his photos, taking brief notes on each one. Lois was just sitting there, head in her hands and eyes to the ground.

The cold was still thawing from her throat along with the shock, but after a brief look of annoyance in Superman's direction, she asked "Where's Clark?"

"I don't know, I went back to the research station to use their bathroom and when I got back he was gone." Jimmy replied, the wrinkle on his forehead deepening in worry.

"Lois?" Silvia asked but there was no answer. "You're not seriously still sulking about what I said to you, right? Clark is missing!"

"He probably went looking for you." Superman spoke up and it instantly grabbed Lois' attention. "I'll go out and find him."

Silvia felt conflicted at the idea of Clark going after her. On one hand she was panicked, but on the other she was grateful. No one had ever been that concerned about her... For someone to show even the slightest hint of care made her chest tighten. "No, you've done enough." Silvia mumbled. "It's my fault, I'll go look for him."

"You're still recovering from the cold." Superman reasoned. "And I can find him a lot faster."

Though she didn't want to take anymore of Superman's help, her concern for Clark appeared to outweigh that. She sighed in defeat and nodded then the man was gone. Lois stared at the spot that he was once stood in, glazed over with a look so sad that Silvia started feeling guilty all over again.

"Silvia." A voice came from behind her. It was higher and shakier than Superman's, but much more welcome.

Relief washed through her as she turned around. The moment she saw Clark a small distance away she started running towards him. Her legs were moving on their own and her mind was so focused on him being okay that she didn't have time to think about her actions.

Clark was near tackled by her but he somehow stayed firmly upright. His whole body tensed in surprise.

"Clark..." Silvia mumbled absent-mindedly. All she could concentrate on was how warm he was... impossibly so. Though compared to her even an iceberg would probably be warm.

It took a few moments, but eventually Clark relaxed in her arms... which is exactly what brought her back to reality. She jumped off of him fast enough to make The Flash jealous, then averted her eyes away from him completely. Her whole face turned red despite the cold that tried to flush it out. "...I'm glad you're not dead." She said bluntly though there was embarrassment in her tone.

Clark chuckled. "You too."

They had barely made it closer to the fire before Jimmy yelled. "C.K! Glad you're alright, man. Did you get to see Superman this time?"

That did raise the question of where he had gone. Silvia quirked an eyebrow and looked up at Clark as if asking the question without words.

"O-Oh, yeah.. He's alright, I guess. He had to head back to Metropolis. It was a little last minute but that's all he told me."

Jimmy suddenly looked absolutely appalled. "Just alright? Dude, he punched through solid ice like it was nothing! Lois, tell 'em..." His voice trailed off when he saw how miserable she looked. "... Sorry."

Lois didn't even spare him a glance, and the moment she got to her feet the atmosphere darkened around them. "I'm going to bed."

She grabbed a large sleeping bag and multiple blankets before making a place by the fire. Jimmy had managed to seperate some of the snow at their camp so they at least didn't have to lay on too much of it. Lois gave Silvia a sharp glare before turning her back on the group.

Lois' sour attitude had affected all of them. Jimmy wasn't sure whether it was wise to speak to Silvia while Lois was still within earshot, Clark looked devastated at Lois' heartbreak, and Silvia was halfway between feeling bad about what she had said and punching Lois in the face. Whether she was right or wrong for speaking out, Lois would have to suck it up eventually... Silvia was just too impatient to wait for that to happen. So, it made her just as miserable as everyone else.


	17. Seventeen

**_Chapter: Seventeen: Smoothies and Ice-Cream_**

The freezing chill blew right through Silvia's blankets and she bowed her head to one side, closing lashes weighed down with wet snowflakes to keep out the salty sting. The dampness of the snow was making its way though her sleeping bag and she hugged her knees close. Her hair fell loose about her face, tousled, tangled.

If this wasn't enough to keep her awake, Lois' constant shivering was. It had gotten so intolerable that Silvia, when she thought everyone else was asleep, grabbed the majority of her own blankets and tossed them over Lois' trembling figure. It took a few minutes but finally the reporters shivering started to quiet down... only to be replaced by her own.

That night had been the worst she'd ever suffered through. Clark had woken up and insisted she take a few of his blankets, but when she refused, he shuffled closer to her to share them instead. He obviously knew that she'd never agree to taking them from him. Silvia had tried to argue this closeness but Clark had mastered the art of ignoring her.

Truth be told, this part of the night wasn't so bad... the blankets helped but nothing compared to Clark himself. Even with a small distance between them (only enough so that they weren't touching under the blankets), Clark was like a personal heater.

Waking up was awkward though, especially with Jimmy grinning down on them like the situation was a lot more complicated than it actually was. He stared at them both like they had been doing unspeakable things during the night, and this look continued the whole way back to Metropolis. It was so incredibly annoying that Silvia was barely bothered by the flight itself.

However, the thing that stuck out most about the end of the trip wasn't any of that... It was when Clark walked her to the bus stop talking about his hometown (he stood up as they waited so that her and an elderly woman could take the seats), and how he had passed her a few pieces of paper. They were folded up so she couldn't see what it was but when she got back and looked at them she realised that he had written the article for her.

He was the kindest person Silvia had ever met, a hero in his own right. In fact, to her, he was better than any powered up metahuman because he didn't need any special abilities to try and help people.

Silvia had always hidden the thought. She was becoming too attached to him, such opinions were only going to make it harder to push him away. It almost seemed too late now.

A few days had passed when she went to the Daily Planet. It was a large building crowded with employees at smooth wooden desks. She passed Jimmy who gave an energetic wave, and Lois who avoided looking at her altogether.

When she entered the office of Perry White the first thing she noticed were the posters hanging on each wall. They were shots of Elvis Presley in concert, some were even signed and so old he had to frame them to keep them intact.

"You must be Silvia Stone." An unsteady yet familiar voice spoke. "Clark's told me all about you."

From a chair perched at the back of the room an older man stood, hair grey and wrinkles crinkling around his eyes. He was the same man she had met during the attack... the one that had informed her that Clark hadn't arrived at work.

"He has?" Silvia gulped.

"Of course. I expect that you've got an amazing article ready for me." He said, walking over and holding his hand out. "Kent said that you're as good as he is, maybe better."

"H-He did?" Silvia stared down at the papers held securely in her hands and sighed. She knew Clark wanted her to take credit for it, and maybe a few months ago she could have, but now she was more uncertain about herself than ever... She simply couldn't do it.

Silvia passed the papers to Perry who skimmed through the paragraphs with a growing grin. "Fantastic. This will definitely start a buzz."

"Thank you..." These words felt foreign on her lips but she forced them out regardless. "But I'm not the one that wrote it."

The man glanced up from beneath the pages curiously.

"It's Clark you should be thanking. I was unable to complete the article so he did it instead. I was merely here to drop it off."

Perry frowned. "Well that complicates matters. He's the one that suggested you in the first place."

"I know, but he's also realised his mistake and fixed it. Please don't go too hard on him... He was just trying to help me."

"That doesn't concern me, and how I punish my staff doesn't concern you either." Perry's tone was harsh but something told her that he'd go easy on Clark. "I don't think that I need to state whether you've got the job or not."

"No, I'm well aware that I'm not cut out for journalism." Silvia quickly replied with a smirk, turning to walk out of the door with a wave. "Try not to kiss Superman's ass too much in this issue."

She could sense Perry tense in the background and glare up at her, much like Lois did when she walked back passed her to exit the Daily Planet.

Silvia hadn't seen Clark that day, nor the day after. In fact, it had been two weeks since she last spoke to him. This should have been cause for celebration. She was usually incredibly eager to get rid of him... but this time she couldn't help but feel a little lonely. Silvia missed his company.

The kitchen counter was chipped and wobbly as she slumped against it. There was nothing for her to do so early in the afternoon. She had to wait for the shadows of night to begin lurking before she even considered leaving the house.

Her mind wandered to that night in the snow and she still couldn't believe how warm Clark had been. He was definitely... something special. A bang tore Silvia from her thoughts. It wasn't loud like a gunshot, but it was audible enough to make her jump.

Her gaze whipped towards her window... it was open and standing in front of it was Starfire. Silvia groaned. She knew she had been bored but that didn't mean she was happy to see her.

"Silvia, hello!" Kori chimed deafeningly.

The blonde flinched at the volume and rolled her eyes. "What the hell do you want?"

"I have come for the 'girl talk'!" Starfire hovered into the air and landed on the couch with a gigantic smile.

"I don't want to talk." Silvia sighed. "Besides, didn't you say last time that I was, and I quote, 'not a very nice person'?"

Kori suddenly looked much too upset. Her green eyes glazed over and their glow dimmed in regret. "Oh... yes. I was very worried about Nightwing. I did not mean to be so horrible to you."

"You weren't being horrible, you were right. Can you go now?" Silvia tried to say but couldn't speak over Starfire's ramblings. She didn't even know why she bothered anymore... She might as well have no voice at all when it came to Kori.

"I went to visit him and he is okay!" Starfire continued as if Silvia hadn't spoken at all. "He has many bruises though, and a broken wrist, and fractures in his hands and arms."

"He got off easy..." Silvia huffed and this time Kori seemed to hear her.

"Oh yes! Batman was in much worse shape."

A smirk quirked onto Silvia's face, pride welling up in her stomach. With how badly she had been hurt it was always good to hear that she had returned the favour.

"I also told Nightwing that you find him aesthetically pleasing!" Kori added, smile widening to a grin.

"You did what?!" Silvia suddenly screeched.

"I told him that you find him 'hot', but not in the sense of him being on fire." Starfire giggled. "He said that he hasn't seen your face but he finds your body and voice very attractive as well."

Silvia felt like smashing her own head against the kitchen counter, and she might have if she wasn't busy cringing.

"Are you alright? Oh, this does not offend you, does it?" Kori asked obliviously. "In Tamaran this would be considered a great compliment!"

Silvia glared up at the girl. "He didn't offend me, but you're getting close to it." She hissed.

"That is a relief!" Kori replied stupidly and Silvia couldn't help but gape at her in disbelief. How could anyone be so clueless?... Kori reached into her cleavage and pulled out two tickets, having no room for a pocket in the revealing outfit she always wore. "I was hoping you'd go to the Aquarium with me! I have many friends there, including a very large sea turtle."

Silvia was still staring at her in surprise, not because she could fit the tickets down her shirt - Starfire's chest was massive enough to fit a small continent down there, but that she had done it so openly without any thought to Silvia seeing.

"They're not your friends... they're animals... next minute you're going to tell me that you can speak to them." Silvia said sarcastically, but Kori didn't seem to take the hint.

Starfire nodded with a large smile still plastered on her face. "I can! My people learn languages through lip contact. The animals here are very kind but hate being trapped in those glass cages."

Silvia knew that she should have been shocked by the fact that Kori could talk to animals, but all she could manage to mutter out was "You... kissed a turtle?..."

Starfire looked about ready to reply before something stopped her. She pressed her finger against her ear as if listening intently to something before pouting over at Silvia. "We will have to visit the Aquarium another time."

Not even a second later Kori had disappeared out of the window with little to no explanation. As pleased as Silvia was that she had gone, she found herself worrying when she heard sirens a few minutes later.

The blonde was contemplating getting suited up and running down the street to see what the commotion was before a knock came at her door. She should have been use to it by now but the sound was still odd to her. Still, there was only one person that was polite enough to knock and the thought had a smile threatening to break onto her face.

It was exactly who she thought it was. Clark stood tall in the doorway adjusting his glasses with hair a little messier than usual.

"Hey, Clark." Silvia said, still fighting against the smile. "Here for more questions?"

"N-No, actually I've already finished the article." He replied honestly, stepping into the familiar apartment and finding even more things wrong with it than before.

"O-Oh... I suppose you didn't use any of my real answers?"

"None whatsoever." Clark smiled, glancing back at her through thick lenses.

Though Silvia managed to return the expression, the silence that followed could not have been more deafening. Silvia felt a very prominent need to break it. "So... what are you doing here then?"

"I just... umm..." Clark mumbled, clearing his throat and straightening his posture. "I was wondering if you'd like to go get coffee?"

"Coffee?..." Silvia froze. "L-Like a date?"

Clark shoved his hands into his pockets and his smile widened. "Is that what you want it to be?"

Her breath hitched. The air around her thinned and she felt as if she might choke on it. Yes - that's what her brain screamed at her... but Silvia was too proud to say it outright. "I-I... don't really like coffee." She splattered out nervously.

Clark's confident smile weakened but never disappeared. He took a deep inhale and nodded. "That's okay... I understand." He said politely but lowly, sauntering back toward the door. "I guess I'll just-"

"I like smoothies though..." Silvia quickly said before he had the chance to leave. "A-And ice cream."

Not even a second later Clark had whipped around again in astonishment. He blinked at her. Then blinked again. It seemed like he was waiting for her to admit that she was joking but when she kept quiet his mouth stretched into a smile once more. "I know a place." He said, confidence leaking back into his tone.

Silvia grabbed her handbag and walked right passed him, patting his shoulder playfully. "Good. Only if you're paying."

One step out of her apartment and she could already smell the smoke that lingered around Southside. The incoherent yelling of drug addicts on the streets was somehow tuned out by Clark's chuckle though. Her mind was more interested in him than anything that rundown street had to offer.


	18. Eighteen

**_Chapter Eighteen: Close Encounters_**

At the ice cream parlour Silvia stood with her hands spread over the chilled glass like two starfish. If there had only been three choices she would have picked one long ago, but the variety drowned her mind in a plethora of possibilities.

There wasn't just all the flavours, but all the possible combinations. At least the choice of cone was simple enough, a waffle cone dipped in chocolate with sprinkles. It didn't come cheap of course, but she wasn't the one paying.

At first she felt a little bad about it, insisting that she get the cheapest thing there, but Clark had persuaded Silvia to get whatever she wanted...and that just happened to be a sugar rush. Eventually she opted for two scoops of choc mint whilst Clark got three of Neapolitan.

As they took their seats at the far end of the parlour, Silvia could still hear the other customers ordering. One little boy in particular hadn't even looked at the glass for longer than two seconds before yelling "I want the Superman one!"

Silvia felt her ears burn at the name and whipped her head around. There was a sign hanging above the counter that she, for some reason, had missed before. It had a cone of ice cream that clashed in three different colours; red, blue and yellow.

It was apparently pretty popular as the boy that ordered it had acquired the very last helping. Silvia huffed. She couldn't believe that they were naming ice cream after him now... There truly was no escaping him if she couldn't even enjoy her favourite treat without hearing about him.

"So... Ice cream, huh?" Clark spoke up and when Silvia turned back he had already eaten half of his treat.

"Got a problem with that, Dorothy?" Silvia smirked, starting on her own cone.

"Not at all. I just never pictured you as the type."

"Well, I've got an incurable sweet tooth." Silvia could feel her ice cream beginning to drip onto her fingers, she licked it instantly without any concern for whether she looked impolite. "Sue me."

"Actually it's probably a good thing. I prefer this to coffee any day." Clark had somehow already gotten down to his cone; any last remaining dairy product stuffed inside and out of view.

Silvia shook her head. "That doesn't exactly surprise me. You put at least six sugars in your coffee that day you invited me to the cafe. I don't know how you're in such good shape with all the horrible food you eat."

There was a pause. One that lasted far too long for Silvia's comfort before Clark glanced back up at her. He smirked and his eyes arched in amusement beneath his glasses. "You think I'm in good shape, Miss Stone?" He said the last part mockingly, using the professional address as if her reactions were more entertaining that way.

Silvia's eyes widened and every muscle in her body tensed then locked. The reality of what she had said begun seeping in and an audible gulp ran down her throat. "I-I... I mean... D-Don't get cocky! It was a completely objective s-statement."

"Was it?" His mouth stretched into a grin at the girl's fumbling. Her whole face was beginning to tinge bright pink and he could hear her heart rate picking up.

Silvia tried to avoid making any form of eye contact. She shifted on the chair awkwardly but it only seemed to make her even more nervous. "D-Do you interrogate absolutely everyone you go out with?" She managed to force out. She tried to sharpen her words with the same edge she always did but it only came out as a shaky mess.

"If this were an interrogation I wouldn't have brought you ice cream."

Despite how embarrassed she felt, Silvia couldn't help but smile. He was the only person that could make her laugh nowadays. She had almost forgotten what it felt like...

It was a little odd actually. For a while now Clark seemed less... Clark-like. He didn't trip over nearly as much as before and when he spoke his stutter was almost gone. He didn't appear half as nervous as he use to. Not that this was a bad thing, she honestly liked that he was more comfortable around her, but she still couldn't help but wonder if some of it was an act. People don't just instantly lose their clumsy nature... unless they were never clumsy to begin with.

Silvia tried not to overthink this too much, and instead decided to ignore it altogether. If he was acting more natural around her that was all that mattered.

It took her twice as long to finish her ice cream (which was weird because she was a pretty fast eater), then they sat there for a few more minutes talking about themselves... or more, talking about Clark. Even now there were questions that would shut Silvia down and render her motionless. She seemed to dodge a lot of his inquiries.

"Did you have any pets as a kid?" Silvia asked him after successfully leaving another of his own questions unanswered.

Clark raised an eyebrow at her. "I grew up on a farm, Sil."

"O-Oh... right." Silvia stuttered, having not completely thought that one through.

"How about you?"

"M-Me? Umm... No... I always wanted one though. It was probably a good thing, I don't even think I'd be able to take care of a fish let alone a dog or something." Silvia gave a faint chuckle but it was as dead as her eyes. "My brother was enough of a handful for me."

Clark leaned closer over the table. Seeming almost relieved to hear about her past. "You have a brother?"

The only response that came was silence. Silvia's stare fell to the table and glazed over. A minute passed and still there was no answer until finally she muttered "I'd... prefer not to talk about it."

Clark's kind smile didn't disappear but it did shrink slightly as he nodded. "That's absolutely fine; I didn't mean to pry." Clark pulled out of his seat and motioned for her to do the same. "Shall we get going?"

"Yeah... It'll be a nightmare around here when school gets out."

This appeared to bring some light back to Clark's eyes. He chuckled as they exited the parlour, holding the door open for Silvia and a few other customers before leaving the building himself. He truly was a model gentleman... Silvia had no idea how to take it. She'd never met anyone like him.

"Not a fan of kids?" He asked when he finally made it back over to her.

They both begun sauntering down the pathway, passing very few people along the way. "Not really. I don't have much patience for them."

"You don't have patience for anyone." Clark joked, despite there being a hint of truth to it.

Silvia felt a giggle bubble passed her lips. The sound itself made her cheeks burn red and she tried to hide it under her long curtain of hair. "Well, apparently I have for you..."

Clark almost stopped in his tracks. He could do nothing but stare down at her and wonder if those words had really come out of her mouth. He decided not to question it, however the grin that soon graced his features made his joy a little too obvious.

Their surroundings shifted from large buildings and strong perfume to burnt down homes and gunpowder. Clark became a little more vigilant at the sudden change. He made sure to walk at least a few steps in front of Silvia, almost protectively. This made her chuckle to herself. She was the one that grew up on those streets, and yet he was the one that looked on edge. It was cute that he thought he'd be able to protect her if something came up... as much as Silvia doubted that such a nerdy reporter could take on trained criminals.

Thankfully, they reached her apartment with no issues. Silvia assumed the thugs were all waiting until nightfall to come out and harass people.

"So..." Silvia said awkwardly, shifting on the spot. "This was a date, right?"

Seeing the blonde so unsure and flushed was something Clark never thought he'd witness... but he was grateful he did. It was like he was finally starting to reach her core. "That depends. If it were, hypothetically, would you go on another one with me?"

"You might be pushing your luck, Dorothy..." Silvia's cheeks hurt at the effort it took not to break into a smile, but the way her lips tightened displayed enough for Clark to notice. "But I suppose I would do this again, hypothetically."

Clark gave her a smile so genuinely sweet that unexpected warmth rushed through her. For a brief second she felt weak, like she would answer any question he asked her or do anything he told her to... but he didn't expect anything of her. Perhaps that's why she allowed herself to feel so strongly towards him.

"Alright then." Clark said in a breathy voice, as if he still couldn't believe she agreed to it. "I'll let you know when I'm free next."

"Okay." She said softly, barely low enough to be a whisper.

To anyone watching the two stepping away from each other it would have been awkward, and maybe it was, but the butterflies in Silvia's stomach weighed that out completely. She waved as he left to descend the stairs, then hurried into her apartment.

Once she had forced the door closed her back pressed against a nearby wall and she tried to steady her breathing. This was ridiculous... She was like a teenager that had just walked by her long time crush down the hallway. Her reaction was embarrassing for a 24 year-old woman. At least, to her it was.

Still, even this couldn't ruin the good mood Clark had left her in... but the sound of gunshots down the street only an hour later could.

Silvia knew that Clark was likely out of harms way by now but that didn't stop the panic from freezing her blood cold. It took very little time for her to get dressed, and she was already half way out the window when she pulled her mask on.

The blonde was already running down through the slums when she realised she'd forgotten to bring a weapon... Apparently she didn't need one because the moment she arrived the culprit had already been caught.

He had a thin, pointed face, almost femininely sensitive, and a small pointed beard. He was bareheaded except for a small sprout of grey that resided in the centre. The gun was nowhere to be seen but a bullet gleamed on the ground, crushed but with no ounce of blood anywhere near it.

The criminal was being held in place, and no matter how much he struggled he couldn't escape the one that had caught him... Superman. The hero smiled at her, brightly but a little different to usual... gentler.

Silvia's nose scrunched up at the sight, almost in disgust. "This isn't your part of town."

"Everywhere is my part of town." Superman retorted with a smirk.

"Think again." Silvia growled. Any lightness in her tone completely disappearing at the sight of the caped man.

"Sorry, should I wait for him to kill someone next time?"

"I was on my way."

"But you were still late."

Silvia grumbled at the man, a hiss snaking through her teeth only to be muffled by the mask."Fuck you..."

Superman only seemed more amused by her annoyance, but decided not to provoke her any further. In the blink of an eye he was gone, and so was the criminal. The only proof that there had been a gunshot at all was that single bullet still squashed against the pavement.


	19. Nineteen

**_Chapter Nineteen: Crossfire_**

The computer was dusty and archaic. Silvia doubted it had as much RAM as her morning workout. She plugged the charger into a nearby outlet and pressed the clunky power switch. An orange light glowed dimly on the front and the screen flashed into colour.

In an instant her desktop displayed that she had an email. Silvia was quick to open it. There was no sender, the slot was completely blank, but the message read loud and clear '7th Avenue in Queens street.' One of her targets had been spotted.

Silvia knew she'd have to go after him one way or another... but whether she was actually going to kill him or not remained a mystery. She wasn't willing to think about it as she got changed into her costume, nor when she grabbed a rifle from the wall. She even tried avoiding the thought when she passed the newly framed picture of her and Clark.

They had gone on four more dates since their first, the last being an amusement park. Clark had forced her to take a picture with him... but she didn't look at all happy about it. He was smiling bright enough to put the sun to shame, and next to him Silvia appeared to be sulking.

They were taking things slow, meaning they still hadn't kissed yet. Sometimes she wondered if they were actually dating or if they were going out as friends. The way he held her hand to walk her back home suggested that they were more than that... but Silvia wasn't use to people having any interest outside of a one night stand. She wasn't exactly sure which pace a real relationship was meant to move at.

Silvia, without ever looking back at the photo of Clark that was sure to fill her with guilt, hurdled out the window and into the night. She knew the perfect spot to set up her gun.

She hated assignments where she had to stakeout from a distance. She much preferred to kick the doors down and rush her target with guns blazing then to place a bolt action rifle a kilometre away then sitting there for four hours whilst the target turned up.

She had her mask pulled up over her mouth and popped handfuls of MMs in every minute or so. It distracted her from thinking about whether or not she was actually going to shoot this man...

Satisfied with her current mouth-load of chocolate, Silvia slipped her mask back down and pressed her cheek onto the stock of her sniper rifle. Peering down the scope, Silvia picked up movement in the window of the office tower. "Jesus. About time..." She muttered under her breath.

A bunch of people poured into this board room. Suits, all of them. Business types... Silvia quickly recognised her target and traced him with her crosshairs.

She saw his face...the smile on it when he shook everyone's hands as they entered and took a seat. She knew this scumbag had screwed people over in the past, and that was usually enough for Silvia to want to blow their head off. But it was different now...

Her finger twitched...but it remained floating in front of the trigger. She gritted her teeth, enraged at her emotions. Silvia thought that she was getting soft. Getting soft meant that her career as a killer was over...

Without warning, the window of the board room shattered into transparent shrapnel, and two bloody holes appeared on the target's forehead. Blood sputtering from the hole in his face, the man tumbled to the ground as his guests stampeded for the door, security guards pouring in from every direction of the room.

"Son of a bitch!!" Silvia growled, dumping her rifle, pushing to her feet and glancing around at the skyline. Her enhanced vision managed to pick up a slight swirl of gun smoke at a mall complex a couple blocks away. Silvia, sighing, propelled herself over the alleyways and scampered up the apartment buildings. She wasn't going to let this guy get away.

In less than a minute, she threw herself through the fifth floor window of the mall. Landing with a roll, she was puzzled to see that the shooter was casually leaning against the wall by the sniper rifle...waiting for her. "You've gotten faster." The man's low, raspy and confident voice said to her. "Still...pretty pathetic."

Silvia's eyes widened in rage when she made out the half black, half orange mask that was wrapped around the man's face. There was just one eye piece on it, and it was flat white with a thick black outline. His suit was comprised of some kind of advanced scale-like light armour...

"Nothing to say, you cheap Chinese knock-off?" Slade Wilson, Deathstroke, quipped.

Silvia, within the blink of an eye, pulled out her pistol and unloaded its entire clip at the mercenary in front of her. She was fast...but Deathstroke was faster. Each shot caught the flat side of the Terminator's promethium broadsword as he swung it with expert precision and unbelievable speed.

Mirrors, windows and shop mannequins were blasted apart by the stray rounds. With a chuckle, Deathstroke continued to spin his sword around in his palm as nothing but blank clicks followed the gunshots.

"I'm going to kill you, old man." Silvia spat.

Wilson elegantly sheathed his blade and crossed his arms. "Feel free to try. You're nothing but a damaged little girl trying to prove to herself that she's not weak and useless."

Silvia bounded forward and extended her fist at Wilson's head, but it was caught and twisted by the experienced soldier. He twirled and rammed his own fist back into Silvia's jaw. There was a violent crack as she snarled through the pain. Without letting the blow slow her down, the Reaper managed to wrench her arm free and whip an elbow into Wilson's temple, weakening his stance but not plucking a single sound from the man.

Wanting to take advantage of this opening, Silvia leapt into the air and pushed with both of her feet, seeking to send Deathstroke flying back with a double kick...but was instead shocked to realise that Wilson clutched both of her legs and swung her face first into a concrete pillar. This bone crunching impact was not enough to quench Deathstroke's lust for blood, however.

"How so very predictable." He snapped. With that, Wilson slammed Silvia's body into the ground once, twice, then three times. Silvia tasted blood in her mouth...she felt broken bones.

He finally released his grip, but Silvia wasn't as eager to stop as he was. She kicked up, then bounded onto him like a savage animal, pummelling his skull with brutal open palm strikes and punches as she wrapped her legs around his abdomen. Wilson didn't let out a single whimper as Silvia screamed, continuing her flurry.

Deathstroke curled a fist, reeled back then buried it with startling velocity into Silvia's gut. She released a garbled yelp as blood erupted from her mouth, painting the blue face of her mask. Wilson once again dug his fist into her stomach, causing Silvia to loosen her hold on him.

"You think you can keep up with me?" He seized her by the neck and pegged her with full force at the side of an ATM. Silvia impacted the machine with the top of her skull; an injury that would've killed any normal person. She and the ATM were sent tumbling over from the intense force. "Don't quit your day job." Deathstroke taunted.

Silvia once again pulled herself up without a moment's delay. "Shut up. I took down Batman...and I'll take you down the same..."

"Batman's small game, sweetheart. Especially when you're a meta. Nothing to brag about."

Deathstroke pushed the offensive by sweeping out his sword and swinging it out at Silvia's head. Despite her injuries, the Reaper evaded the unbreakable sword and thrusted another of her pistols into Wilson's ribcage. She managed to squeeze the trigger twice before Deathstroke sent his sword down along her shoulder and backhanded her away as if she were a ragdoll.

Stumbling backwards, Silvia noticed that her gunshots pierced Deathstroke's suit and was causing some light bleeding to his torso.

"Hmpf. You're still nothin' but a wannabe." The Terminator flashed forward and gouged Silvia's right knee with his broadsword, slashed a deep cut upwards through her chin, mouth and cheek, then swung its pommel into her forehead with a dull crack.

Silvia could barely see straight after the would be fatal blow to the head, but her ravenous rage sent her barrelling into Wilson once again. Blood oozing from the wound on her face, and mask hanging open from the strike, Silvia shrieked like a feral creature and dug her teeth into the bullet wound on Wilson's ribs.

She brutalised the bare flesh with her teeth, as Deathstroke thrusted his sword into Silvia's abdomen. With a whip of her head, Silvia tore a chunk of Wilson's meat out of his torso and was flung backwards when Wilson kicked her blood-soaked body off of his weapon.

Silvia landed with a crunch on the tiled floor, a pool of her own blood appearing beneath her. Deathstroke sheathed his sword and patted the gorey teeth-marked wound on his body.

"Hm. Impressive. I'm a bit tougher than the usual steak. My guess is that whatever chemicals that scumbag dad of yours put into your system maximised your instincts as well as your physicality." He said and the Reaper snarled, sending spit and blood all over the floor as she tried to stand. Deathstroke continued "To think you exist because someone wanted to copy me is an insult, really. If you were better...that would be a different story."

Wilson unholstered his Desert Eagle, pointed it at Silvia's already mutilated body and fired relentlessly. Each shot wasn't enough to cause Silvia any pain in her current crazed state. Deathstroke shrugged. "But the fact of the matter is, you're much too fun. If you survive this, I guess you'll have earnt a rematch. And by the way...I noticed your little moment. You're getting soft. And that means that I'll be beating you to every job if you don't stop being a coward."

Reaper wanted to curse him, to scream that she was no coward... but her vision was fading fast and her voice had left her. Deathstroke didn't give her a second look when he left, and before long she was motionless against the concrete roof. Her instincts died down but when they did the pain came barrelling through.

Her skin became clammy beneath the fountain of blood. Every few minutes she would scream like she was being tortured... but worse. It had a raw quality, the realness of a person consumed by a pain that knew no end or limit. Then the agony was too much and she could no longer vocalise it.

In the distance she heard someone call her name... It sounded like Clark but deeper, more controlled. Then an 'S' symbol blurred into her mind. She was in so much pain that she couldn't even connect it with a person. All she could do was hear him, and feel her bones rattle when he picked her up. Soon enough even those senses faded and she was left in utter darkness.


	20. Twenty

**_Chapter Twenty: Healing_**

In that eternity of nothingness there was a never ending pain, and without any control of her body she couldn't even cry or yell. That was the worst part. There was no release. Silvia felt like she was dying, or maybe she was already dead. The concept of losing her life had never phased her... until she met Clark. Now she was terrified that she'd never see his face again, or hear him ask her a million questions in one sitting.

Fear had a vice-like grip on her mind before flashes of light appeared. They happened in spurts that felt like they were hours apart, but each time she could glimpse at reality.

First it was a familiar room; off-white and surrounded in advanced technology. Then it was a woman, broad-shouldered and severe, her red hair twisted into the tightest of buns. She had a strangely blank, moon shaped face, wire-framed spectacles, and no makeup apart from a smear of yellow lipstick. Her mouth was moving but Silvia heard nothing but a loud buzzing noise. Next time Superman was there, staring down at her in a way that made her wish she were dead. Last was the room again - empty and alone.

Those were her only windows to the outside world for God knows how long. This ended on the day a new gasp of air filled her lungs and her whole body jolted back to life. It was like her brain was reconnecting to every muscle and limb, making them twitch out of control until they fell still.

Silvia's blue eyes snapped open to a familiar ceiling and she regained all her senses at once. She could hear the groaning of patients in the next room. She could smell the horrible hospital food being carted down the halls. It was like being reborn... but more painful.

The blonde girl tried to sit up but a wave of pain zapped through her. A grunt became lodged in her throat at the sudden feeling and she slowly laid back down. It didn't look like she was going to be moving for a while...

"Glad to see that you're awake." The same woman Silvia had seen before appeared from behind the curtain. Her gaze was fixed on the papers in her hand, pen hovering above the first page. "Do you know where you are?"

"Hell?" Silvia muttered through her pounding headache; it felt like her brain was being shredded from the inside out. The woman didn't look impressed and Silvia sighed. "S.T.A.R Labs."

The scientist quickly ticked something on her end of the paper then glanced back up. "And do you remember who brought you here?"

"No, but I'll take a wild guess and say it was Superman."

This time when the lady ran her pen across the paper she did it with a lot more precision. Silvia could almost imagine each line she was making before her brown eyes flicked back up. "Before we reveal your medical record I also need your full name and birthdate."

Silvia scoffed. "Reaper's my name. Have you not visited the cult website of late? Apparently I'm a seven foot tall male, born by Gods hatred of our sins."

It was true, there was a small cult online that praised Reaper and his deeds. Yes, his. They thought she was a man. Not only that, but they posted illustrations of what Reaper supposedly looked like; a giant with a burly beard and muscles large enough to rival Bane's. It was somewhat entertaining to see people's ideas of her visualised, despite the fact that they were the complete opposite of her.

Reaper moved in the night so she was barely seen, they couldn't be blamed for having their small fantasies of her... or him. Though when Lois posted that article with a fairly clear picture the cult had instantly denied it. They said it was a fake. A copycat.

"I'm not interested in your little fan club." The scientist groaned.

"Well, that makes two of us." Silvia smirked, pain shooting through the side of her skull that instantly wiped her smug expression away.

"Joke all you like but you are not permitted to leave this building until I confirm that you're not suffering memory loss." The scientists eyes narrowed and her pen tapped against the pages still held securely in her opposite hand. "Now, full name and birthdate please. No need to be cautious, you've already been here before and know we are unable to release patient information. Besides, we already have full reports on you including your name. We're only asking to make sure that you know who you are."

"Of course I know who I am!" Silvia hissed. "I'm not suffering any memory loss. I remember everything!"

The woman tapped her foot impatiently. She didn't look like she was willing to repeat herself.

The blonde sighed. "September 17th, Silvia Stone."

The scientist refused to move an inch. Her stare drilled into Silvia like brass to sapphire and her lips pursed. "We took blood samples and linked it to both your birth certificate and government files. I wouldn't suggest lying to the people that saved your life. Now I'll ask one more time, what's your real name?"

Silvia froze. Her whole body tensed then stiffened against the healing wounds until she could feel nothing else. Her jaw tightened but this only worsened her pain, it felt like it had been dislocated and was in the later stages of mending. There was nothing she could do but answer the question, no matter how angry it made her. "Silviana Blackwood..."

The scientist nodded. "Very good. I'll have someone come in and inform you of your injuries." She nodded to someone out of Silvia's view. "You can come in now, Taylor."

Minutes after she had left someone else took her place... The woman that had tended to Silvia the last time she was brought there. "You're making a habit out of wasting our resources." She said, the edge of her mouth tugging upward.

"If it's such a waste then stop helping me." She grumbled back.

"Now, that would be an even bigger waste." The woman smiled and glazed over the report she was holding. "Your healing capabilities are greater than we originally thought. Last time you were here the blade Batman stabbed you with hit a major artery, and it was so sharp that whenever your body tried to heal it the blade would just cut it again. This was the only thing that sent you to us."

"See? I told you. I'm fine-"

"This time, however, you were on the cusp of death." Taylor interrupted, taking a seat next to Silvia's hospital bed and reading through the long list of injuries. "We had to temporarily heighten your healing factor to make sure that didn't happen. Your skull had been split open, but because we had already pumped you with enhancements, there was not enough time for surgery. We had to try and realign it in little more than half an hour before your body fixed it."

Silvia's hand quickly flew up to her head... her hair was still there but beneath the tangles there were deep cuts. "Thanks... I guess."

"The rest of your body was gravelly wounded. You had at least fifteen broken bones and four fractures, your torso was riddled in bullet holes, your face was almost cut open, and that's not to mention the deep gushes that had punctured multiple arteries." Taylor leaned back in her seat, report falling to her lap with a gentle tap. "The gun used was a Desert Eagle... If you weren't Meta you'd be nothing but meat right now. You should be deader than my great grandmother. Whoever did this to you really must despise you... or like you, I honestly can't tell with you mercenary types."

Silvia grunted her response. She really wasn't in the mood for a lecture, even less to hear about how badly she had lost to Deathstroke... again.

Before Taylor could find something else to mention there was a a gust of wind that Silvia was sure no one else heard. Then the curtains to her section of the room parted and Superman stepped inside. Silvia groaned. "Oh God... Can't you give me a break?"

"Sorry, I told him you were awake." Taylor said as she pushed out of the chair. "He's been here every day since you were admitted."

Silvia probably should have felt flattered but all she could concentrate on was the words 'every day'. Her eyes darted to Superman then back to Taylor in panic. "How long have I been here?"

"Almost a week."

Her voice rung in Silvia's head and suddenly she couldn't breath. "N-No... I was suppose to meet Clark at the-" she tried to get out of bed but the pain it evoked was too much. A sharp inhale hissed passed her teeth and Superman rushed to her side.

"Don't stress, I made sure he was informed that you were put in hospital." His tone was softer than Silvia was use to, his eyes filled with concern.

"Why would you do that?!" Silvia growled. "Couldn't you have said I was out of town or something? You didn't have to make him worry!"

"He deserves to know." He responded, nodding for Taylor to leave the room. "I said you were attacked on your way home. He doesn't know about Reaper."

Silvia let out a breath of relief, though she couldn't relax completely with Superman still there. He wouldn't stop staring at her, like he thought he'd never see her awake again... Not that Silvia thought that would bother him. They weren't exactly close. That only made it weirder.

"Will you stop gaping at me and just tell me what you fucking want?" She finally snapped at him, uncomfortable that he hadn't left yet.

"I'm glad you're alright." He said so sincerely that Silvia almost believed him. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to ask until you completely healed, but apparently it can't wait."

Silvia huffed. "Well, hurry up then."

"There was a body found not far from you with two bullet holes to the head, something largely considered as your signature..."

"You think I killed him?" Silvia sneered. Not this again.

"If I thought you did it I wouldn't be asking." Superman replied honestly and Silvia glanced up at him in surprise. "But I do need to know who actually killed him or the blame's going to fall on you."

The blonde would usually find no reason to tell, but this time she couldn't help but feel like she had to. It was rare that anyone ever put faith in her. "It was the same person that did this to me - Deathstroke."

Superman's brow darkened and his lips formed a thin line. "What were you doing getting involved with him?"

"We've fought before, I'd been hired to eliminate him... The injuries were a lot worse and I got no hits in at all. He had no problem killing a teenager but he said it'd be more interesting to let me live. He thought I'd get stronger and actually put up a fight worth having." Silvia growled in annoyance. "After that I delayed a few of his hits by a few seconds and he's had a problem with me ever since. Apparently he hates being late on a contract."

Superman's gaze softened. "How old were you when you first fought him?"

"I don't know, Dude. Sixteen or Seventeen... Some shit like that. I don't keep track." The girl shrugged. "Have I proven my innocence yet? Can you just leave me alone now?"

The man of steel's smile was faint. He almost looked bothered by her wanting him gone... and the way his jaw locked reminded her of Clark. "Sure." He said lowly, trying to conjure the same confidence that he always had. "I hope you feel better soon."

Guilt stabbed Silvia directly in the stomach as she watched him leave, though she had no idea why. She swallowed what little pride she had left and decided to at least give him a little credit. "Hey, boy-scout!" She called out and he stopped to look over his shoulder at her. "... Thanks for saving me. I owe you."

Finally his smile seemed to return, but it wasn't the one he always wore to charm people. It was gentle, maybe even sweet. "You don't owe me anything. I told you that before."

Silvia could feel herself weakening, just as Deathstroke had told her. Still, she couldn't stop her expression from slipping to something that nearly resembled compassion. "You're making it very difficult to keep hating you, Steely."

"So are you." He replied with a chuckle. Within seconds he was gone again, and Silvia was left alone to the irritating squeaking of nurse shoes and the groaning of patients once more.

There was nothing to be said about the remainder of her stay at S.T.A.R Labs. She stayed in her bed begging to be released but they refused to let her go for another two days. By that time she was so eager to leave that she practically sprinted out of the door.

On the bright side she could actually move now without being in severe agony. She still had a few bruises and scabs though, the bigger wounds were likely to be added to the large array of scars that littered her body.

When Silvia returned to her apartment she was met with the same atmosphere; screaming from the other sections and the smell of burnt food. This only added to her shock when she reached her room to find that her door was no longer broken... In fact, it looked brand new. Stuck to the handle was a sticky note, dark yellow that contrasted greatly with the royal blue ink. 'Hopefully this should keep you a little safer. Ring me as soon as you're able. - Clark'.

Silvia's mouth stretched into a smile, and suddenly the pain didn't matter. She should have taken a few more days to heal but she was desperate to see him. This had happened before and it would probably happen again... She wanted to make sure that next time she had no regrets.

Regardless of any aches still pulsing through her system, Silvia turned right back around and headed back into Metropolis. She remembered stopping by Clark's house once after he forgot his wallet. The route was still embedded in her mind.

His apartment building was leagues ahead of her own, but by any other standard it would be considered plain. The stairs were made of solid metal and didn't threaten to collapse beneath her when Silvia climbed them though, and that was enough for it to look like a luxury.

Silvia knocked on the door she recalled being Clark's, but there was no answer. Just when she was about to try again it finally swung open. Clark only needed to glance at her slightly cut up face to start worrying. "Oh my god, Sil. I was so worr- Are you alright?!" He said in alarm but was only met with a gentle push as the girl entered his room. His brow furrowed but he complied by closing the door shut behind him.

There was a moment of silence between the two; Clark waiting for Silvia to explain why she was there, and Silvia feeling a wave of embarrassment for something she hadn't done yet. Her silvery eyes flicked up at him for barely a second before she averted her gaze once more. Why was this so difficult for her?

Silvia cursed herself. She had already pushed away her own stubbornness once today, and with Superman of all people, Clark deserved nothing less.

Concern wrinkled the bridge of Clark's nose and he braced both palms on her shoulders, convinced something was wrong. Her face was white and her breathing labored, and he could swear he felt a hint of a tremble. "Does it still hurt? Do you need to go back to the hos-"

Silvia, having suddenly gained a hint of confidence, quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. This stopped the man in mid sentence, his eyes wide in shock. She was trying to hug him but the action was so foreign to her that she wasn't entirely sure if she was doing it right... Was she holding him too tight? Was she too close? These questions turned into anxieties but it was too late to go back now.

"Thank you..." She whispered into his shirt, feeling his muscles stiffen in further surprise. "For fixing my door, and worrying about me... and, well, I guess everything."

Clark's hand grazed against the small of her back, but it took another few seconds for him to find his voice again. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

She shook her head, pulling a few inches away from his chest. "I'm fine, really..."

Clark nudged her chin up with his thumb, and her lips parted with a sharp intake of breath. And then he saw it. The gentle rise and fall of her chest, the soft rose in her cheeks, the skittish look in her eyes, flitting to his lips and then quickly away.

Comprehension suddenly oozed through him like heated honey purling through his veins. Could it be? Was it possible that cold, callous Silvia Stone was beginning to warm up?

The thought sent warm ripples of shock through his body, thinning the air in his lungs. His gaze gentled, taking in the vulnerability in her eyes, the fear in her face, and all he wanted to do was hold her, reassure her.

As if under a spell, his gaze was drawn to her lips, parted and full, and the sound of her shallow breathing filled him with a fierce longing. Slowly, he bent toward her, closing his eyes to caress her mouth with his own. A weak gasp escaped Silvia as she froze, but she didn't relent.

The taste of his lips was far more than she bargained for, and she drew close to him with a raspy groan. With a lot more control than she had, Clark cupped the back of her neck and kissed her deeply, gently, possessive in his touch but yet it felt like he was holding back.

Silvia's body melded to his with an answering sigh. Her hands reached to grab the fabric of his shirt, scrunching it up in her fists. The kiss made her heart flutter and set her chest aflame. It felt like he was overthinking his every movement as if the slightest shift could hurt her, but for Silvia it made the world fall away like it had stopped turning on its axis.


	21. Twenty-One

**_Chapter Twenty-One: Overtime_**

Weeks of dating slowly moved into months, and that one kiss turned into many. They always had a lasting effect on Silvia, who could swear she still felt the warmth they left on her lips hours afterwards. Her relationship with Clark had left her vulnerable, some may even say weak, but she had never been happier... This terrified her. She figured it wouldn't last, nothing ever did.

Still, this didn't drive her away from him. It only brought her closer. She tried to appreciate that small ray of hope before it was snuffed out.

Silvia was just about to meet Clark at the ice cream parlour when she got a text message. Apparently Perry was making him work overtime and he simply couldn't make it. Of course Silvia was a little disappointed, but she decided to visit him at the Daily Planet instead. She had already left the house anyway.

The way there was the same as always; a broken down walkway that suddenly turned into a sparkling new one as she entered central Metropolis. School holidays were in effect so the streets were a little more crowded than usual. This meant that the lines were also much longer.

Silvia had waited at least half an hour at the bakery, and about an hour at the cafe. It was even a struggle finding her way to the Daily Planet building. There were so many people it was like being stuck in traffic... but without a car.

When she finally arrived at the building the afternoon was almost over, though Clark said he was working until dinner so he was likely to still be there... or so she thought. When she arrived there the usually packed interior was near empty. Lois was typing at her keyboard though much slower than usual, and Jimmy was flipping through photographs. The only other people there were already packing up to leave. Clark wasn't among them.

Silvia raised an eyebrow at the scene, eyes still scanning for any sign of him. When she found no trace she was forced to rely on the help of others. She shuttered at the thought. Asking people for assistance wasn't her strong suit...

She immediately crossed Lois off her list. Silvia was fairly certain the reporter wanted nothing more to do with her, and she honestly couldn't blame her.

Instead Silvia opted for asking Jimmy who at least didn't roll his eyes at the sight of her. In fact, a large grin stretched across his face that he tried desperately to hide from Lois.

"Afternoon, Silvia." He said in his usual cheer. "Did you need something?"

"I was just looking for Clark. Any idea where he's gone?"

Jimmy's smile seemed to extend when she mentioned his co-workers name. He apparently knew what was going on between the two of them. This expression quickly fell after a quick glance over his shoulder. "He was here not long ago..." He mumbled to himself.

Before Silvia could ponder where he could have possibly gone the television placed deliberately in the corner was suddenly turned up. The voice over a female news caster blared through the room and both of them were quick to turn around. Lois stood cross-armed in front of it, watching the images flash across the screen intensely.

"We're live from downtown Metropolis where chaos erupted just moments ago when Superman himself suddenly began attacking the city in fits of uncontrollable rage." Behind the news anchor were a flood of people running in the opposite direction. There was visible destruction in the distance; buildings rendered to rubble and smoke whirling from unseeable fires.

Jimmy audibly gasped and rushed closer to the television. "No way..."

"It can't be him." Lois said though her voice shook.

Silvia tried to convince herself otherwise, but she ended up joining them in watching the news and saying simply "It's not."

They both glanced over at her, surprised at how certain she sounded, especially after hearing her insult him during their trip together. Silvia shrugged, choosing to not elaborate on her response. She doubted Superman could sway a bug away without feeling guilty, let alone fly into 'fits of uncontrollable rage' around innocents.

For a while there seemed to be no sight of the person responsible for the damage and despite the terror of those around her the woman still refused to move. This was only confirmation to Silvia that reporters, whether it be for a news station or a paper, were all equally insane.

Finally the camera started zooming in on someone. They looked like Superman... or a zombie-like version of him. He had chalky skin, messy black hair and tired blue eyes. Even his costume looked duller than usual.

"That's not Superman! The colours are all wrong!" Jimmy yelled at the screen, pointing at the 'S' symbol that Silvia now noticed had a purplish tinge to it instead of red.

"That's what convinces you? He could

have gotten a new costume, ya know..." Silvia said with a silent scoff. She knew it wasn't Superman because he was a damn goody-goody, but it took a costume reveal to reassure Jimmy. It was just weird to her.

"He's got grey skin!" Jimmy replied, voice not lowering.

Confirmation came only seconds later when an almost identical figure flew into the... 'not-Superman', and sent him too far into the sky for the camera to capture.

"It's Bizarro." Lois said with a sigh, arms falling to her side and eyes still focused on the screen. "News stations always call him Superman so that they can make eye catching titles like 'Superman destroys city'... It's all to make a quick buck."

"Who's Bizarro?" Silvia asked, face wrinkled in confusion. "That sounds like a stupid buzz word you'd make up and slap on a headline."

Jimmy chuckled and nudged Lois' arm. "Yeah pretty much."

Lois rolled her eyes. "Bizarro is a doppelgänger of Superman, or a clone in simpler terms. I have a feeling I'm going to need to revert to simpler wording if I'm explaining it to you."

It was probably expected that Silvia feel insulted by Lois' smart-ass comment. She didn't. Actually, it surfaced at least some degree of respect for the reporter. There was a big difference in Silvia's eyes between a jerk and a witty jerk. She was glad to find Lois was the latter. Regardless, Silvia was never the type to deny the truth. She grew up in Southside, stupidity came with the territory. Street smarts, however, that was something that she learnt very early on.

Silvia placed down the coffee cup and paper bag she was still carrying and shrugged. "Yeah, so keep it short."

"In the words of Superman 'Bizarro was born from hatred and greed, but he wants nothing more than to help. His warped understanding of our world means that he'll bring destruction, thinking that he's doing us good.' In other words, he does the complete opposite of what he's suppose to do and especially what Superman does. He's a clone, but does everything backwards."

Silvia blinked only once during the reporters explanation. The rest of the time she spent staring at the woman stunned. Finally, she glanced over at Jimmy who was trying to hold in his laughter. "Oh... right. I forgot I was standing next to a Superman encyclopaedia." Silvia sighed to herself before responding. "Wouldn't being the opposite of Superman defeat the whole purpose of a 'clone'?"

"It seems like whoever created him only wanted to duplicate his powers, not his personality or morals." Lois tapped her thin index finger against a nearby desk. "Still a clone, technically, but a bad one."

The blonde looked back over at the television where Superman appeared once again without Bizarro. She couldn't help but feel a little bad for the clone, even if he brought nothing but destruction, all he wanted was to help. It sounded a little too familiar.

The woman on the news station finally got sight of Superman standing behind her. She quickly tucked a stray strand of her short brown hair behind her ear and turned several shades darker. "S-Superman!" She squeaked, immediately followed by an embarrassed cough as she tried to lower her voice to a more attractive tone. "Metropolis would like to know what happened to the culprit. Do you have anything to say?"

Superman's bright blue eyes were so prominent that even the camera didn't do them justice, but still they reached through the screen to calm the terrors of all that watched the event transpire. He smiled charmingly and waved. "There is no longer any need for fear. Bizarro has been put back behind bars and there were no casualties. As many of you know, Bizarro's intentions are pure but as long as he remains a threat I will be here to stop him."

The woman attempted to hide her face behind her bronzed fingers, her cheeks became a color to rival the hue of her nail polish, and shone through the gaps. She wasn't looking at the camera anymore, only at Superman who was likely too kind to point out how ridiculous she looked fawning over him.

Silvia could pretty much feel the heat radiating off of Lois in fury. She wasn't over him yet, and it was doubtful that she would ever be. Silvia tried to concentrate on how irritated Lois looked to ignore how she herself felt about it. Usually she thought it was absolutely revolting, and that hadn't really changed, but something twisted in her stomach at the sight of that reporter flirting with him. She didn't know what it was but suddenly she wanted to throw her off of a building... A very tall building.

Lois was quick to turn the television off after Superman had left and Silvia was more than happy to forget anything she had felt in that short moment. She slammed into one of the many chairs that littered the room and rested her head in her hands, waiting for Clark to return. She didn't have to wait long.

Only minutes after she had sat down the door opened and he came sauntering in. Clark didn't look like he was expecting anyone to notice that he was gone and when they did he suddenly appeared slightly nervous. "Sorry, I forgot some notes back home. I had to run and get them to finish the-" he cut himself off, gaze finally falling onto Silvia.

"She came to see you, C.K." Jimmy smiled knowingly. "I gotta get myself a girlfriend that will visit me at work too!"

"Good luck." Lois said, dismissing the idea altogether as if it were impossible. She didn't appear anymore excited to see Clark than she usually was. She gave him a nod but that was the extent of her greeting before she returned to her desk.

Silvia grabbed her things off of the desk and Clark in the middle of the room. His grin was immediate. At least someone looked happy to see her...

"I'm sorry I had to cancel our date, Sil. I promise I'll make it up to you." Clark said sincerely. "What are you doing here though?"

Silvia extended her right arm and motioned for him to take the cup she was clutching on to. "Thought you could use a little energy."

Clark had been constantly surprised at how kind Silvia had become towards him, even now he was always forgetting that she was really Reaper. The woman that he was dating, the one that he grew closer to every day, was nothing like her other persona. She was thoughtful, even vulnerable at times.

Noticing that Silvia was beginning to look concerned that he hadn't replied, Clark retrieved the cup from her and took a small sip. Sugar rushed through his system instead of the caffeine that he was expecting. His blue eyes darted over to her and Silvia smiled lightly at him.

"I know that you're not the biggest fan of coffee so I got you a mocha instead with extra chocolate, and five spoonfuls of sugar... and whipped cream." Silvia giggled lowly, hoping that the other two people in the room hadn't heard it. "So, you feeling a little more awake now, Dorothy?"

A chuckle sounded in Clark's throat and reverberated in his chest. "I'll be up all night." His gaze softened at her. It was an expression much gentler than Silvia received from anyone else. Above all the different ways he looked at her, this was her favourite. "Thanks, Sil. I'll have to remember to get this again next time."

"If you want cavities then go ahead." She replied with a laugh before passing him the paper bag as well. "I got you something to eat too. There's enough in there to share with Jimmy and Lois... Just don't tell them it was me."

Clark smiled at her in awe despite the joking tone he gave. "I'd never dream of it."

They were lost in their small moment together, smiling at each other affectionately. Silvia could see Jimmy watching from around the corner and shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "W-Well, I guess I better let you get back to work."

Clark looked a little disappointed that she was leaving so soon but nodded regardless. "I'll take you out on the weekend, I promise."

Silvia shook her head at the seriousness in his voice. "I believe you... but it really doesn't bother me. I can just visit you again if you're busy."

"It bothers me though." Clark sighed. "Don't make any plans, alright?"

Silvia agreed but did it a lot less sternly than Clark. He was always adamant about making things up to her, a lot of it having to do with his frequent disappearances. She had no idea where exactly he was always running off to, but Silvia always figured he had a good reason... She just wished she knew what it was.


	22. Twenty-Two

**_Chapter Twenty-Two: Earth's Mightiest Mortal_**

The minute Silvia had left the Daily Planet building she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was an old, busted up Nokia that displayed texts in an outdated font. She had found it in the gutter years ago in working condition. It could only be assumed that it fell out of someone's purse but with no contact information to even attempt returning it, Silvia felt justified in keeping it.

The screen instantly displayed the message in small writing without any need to click onto the menu. 'You told me to update you on super villain movements instead of contracts. I heard that there's trouble in Fawcett City but I can't be sure who's causing it.'

Silvia immediately texted back confirmation that she had received this message and raced to the nearest train station. Fawcett City was further away then Gotham but still close enough to warrant checking it out.

The city was simply urban, just like she'd imagined - tall buildings in an exact grid pattern. Ubiquitous skyscrapers were smudged by the smog-filled sky, and it had more sunlight than Gotham but couldn't compare to Metropolis. Cars raced between red traffic lights, stubbornly flickering in the grey. She could hear a few birds soaring across the horizon and... multiple people running.

Silvia quickly turned to see smoke swirling in the horizon. Her eyes narrowed. Apparently that was where she needed to go.

Silvia found an empty alleyway and quickly got changed, then bolted down the street like an Olympic champion at the start gun but a lot less graceful. Her pace quickened to an all out sprint when she spotted a crowd rushing away from the area. Inside a flaming building was where she skidded to a halt. There she was faced with the largest man she'd ever laid eyes on... bigger than even Superman.

Silvia arched her neck in a strained attempt to get a good look at him. He towered over her both in height and weight. He was around 6'8 with the muscles of a bodybuilder. Veins crept visibly through each arm in bulging blue and his face was obscured, much like hers, with a mask.

"What... the... fuck..." Silvia gasped at the sight of him. Already she felt like she had no chance.

"Yeah, he's pretty scary looking, isn't he?" Someone spoke from behind her. Though Silvia was reluctant to turn her back on the giant of a man, she did so anyway to see who was speaking. Shazam was floating a few inches from the ground with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. "His name's Bane. Don't worry, he's not that tough."

"Really? Then I'll leave this to you." Silvia replied.

"Ah yeah, about that... Black Adam was actually using Bane as a distraction so I need to go find him." Shazam gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head childishly. "Unless, of course, you want to go after him instead. He's put up a pretty good fight between both me and Superman once... at the same time. I'm sure you'll come up with something though."

Silvia gulped. "Y-You... and Superman?!" Her blue eyes flicked back over to Bane and she sighed. "I'll take the distraction..."

"Good choice." The hero gave her a thumbs up. "He's a piece of cake, you can totally beat him!"

With that Shazam shot into the sky like a bullet and left her with Bane. The wrestling masked man now had her full attention and she started to realise that he had been leaning against a nearby pillar, waiting for them to finish deciding who was going to take him on.

"Eres diferente de lo que esperaba." Bane said in a voice so low that Silvia could almost feel it vibrate through the earth. The man pushed off of the pillar and slammed both fists together menacingly.

Silvia tilted her head to the side. "Sorry... uh... Do you speak English? I mean, thanks for waiting and all but I have no idea what you're trying to tell me."

Bane took a step forward that closed a lot of distance between them. "You are different then I was expecting but anyone that defeats Batman deserves my respect."

"Oh?" Silvia gleamed. "Well, thanks then!"

"La gratitud no te llevará a ninguna parte... I'm still the one that broke his back."

Silvia scoffed. "Just his back? Pretty sure I broke more than that when I fought him."

"That will not be repeated on me." It couldn't be seen whether Bane was amused or annoyed, but regardless he took another stride forward and his voice increased in volume. "I'm tired of talking, show me the strength that bested Batman."

Reaper suddenly felt her hands become clammy beneath her gloves and strands of her hair beneath the mask sticking to her face. This man was so incredibly huge that she doubted she had any chance against him. She wasn't even a mouse in comparison, more like an insect easily crushed under his boot.

Always being too stubborn to listen to any reasonable thought that ran through her mind, Reaper braced herself and curled her hands into fists. Usually she liked to play around with her enemy and to assess their strength, but something told her it was going to hurt a lot more than usual this time.

"So, you want the first hit?" She said in a tone that suggested she already knew this was a mistake. "Come on, give me your best shot!"

Bane huffed out something that sounded almost like a chuckle. "You asked for it." Then he swung his gigantic arms in Silvia's direction, knocking her off her feet and straight through a wall. She definitely felt that one.

Silvia forced herself to stand back up and stepped over the large hole that now resided in the wall. Bane was stronger than anyone she had fought so far in terms of brute force and power, but he was sluggishly slow compared to her and had little skill behind his hits. This might be easier than she initially thought.

Shrugging off the attack and trying to ignore the intense aching in her muscles, Silvia charged towards the much larger man. He swung his hand in her direction once more but she easily dodged it.

Reaper wove passed each attack effortlessly until finally tangling her legs beneath Bane's. In one heaving effort she pulled him to the ground, every muscle in her legs tensing at the strain. It took every last bit of her strength but, finally, she managed to trip him over. Once he was down it was all too easy to aim for his face, which was previously out of her reach.

Bane was sturdy but after seven of Reaper's hardest punches his jaw gave a loud crack. Another and his nose shifted beneath his mask. Still the man didn't make a sound until Silvia kicked down into his chest and broke a few ribs.

"You're strong, but you're gonna need to be faster than that to get another hit in." Silvia taunted, a smirk forming on her lips.

"See? I told ya you could do it!" Came the all too familiar voice of Shazam.

Reaper turned, rolling her shoulders to appease the soreness that stung there. It didn't help. "Guess you were right. How'd it go with that... Adam guy?"

"Black Adam put up a fight but he's in jail now." The hero stood tall, chest puffed out in a way that felt like an exaggeration. "I think I'll have a cool new scar from it though!"

Silvia could feel her brow begin to wrinkle at the man. "Aha..."

She only now remembered Starfire's words months ago. She had suggested that Shazam, who was around 6'2 and had muscles to rival Batman's, was actually a 12 year-old boy. The idea was something that Silvia just couldn't wrap her head around. His speech certainly sounded like it, but his face was so chiseled to perfection that there was no way she could comprehend it. He was the second manliest person she'd ever seen, beaten only by Superman.

Shazam seemed to get a little uncomfortable with how quiet Reaper had become, and even with a mask, he could tell that she was staring. He cleared his throat and flew toward the injured Bane. "I can... uhh... take him in if you want. I'm sure you'd want to get home."

Reaper nodded but even as Shazam left carrying Bane she didn't move. Curiosity whirled in her mind until there was no option but to give in. She had to know the truth about that man or she knew it would keep her up at night.

The sun was sinking lower in the sky by the time she got changed and caught up with Shazam. He was still at the prison making sure both Black Adam and Bane were being held securely. Silvia stayed within the shadows, waiting patiently for him to leave and when he did she followed.

It wasn't a long walk until the large jerk disappeared into a fairly average looking house with a spacious backyard. Silvia's eyes narrowed at the place. She could always break in, but seeing as she was trying to behave herself she opted for a more direct route. With no hesitation whatsoever Silvia jumped over the mahogany fence and knocked on the door.

There was a long pause and Silvia was suddenly made aware of how cold it had gotten. The wind blew against her back and whipped across her exposed arms. She could already feel a purple tinge arising from the temperature.

She didn't have much longer to think about it though because the door soon cracked open to reveal a small boy. If Silvia was to take a guess she'd say he wasn't even in High School yet. He blinked up at her oddly and she did the same.

"Uh... who are you?" He asked in a small voice.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I'm just looking for someone and thought I saw him come through here." Silvia gave a nervous laugh. "Have you seen anyone wearing a costume with a bolt on the front of it and a white cape?"

The boy gulped. He stared at her, eyes widening as if he recognised her voice. "Umm... Nope! I haven't seen anyone like that."

"Are you sure?" Silvia asked, brow furrowing at how uncomfortable the boy looked. "He's pretty hard to miss, and I heard he's popular around Fawcett City... uh... Sharlem is his name, I think."

The boy raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh wait, that's not it! Uh... Sharkboy? Sharlightning?" Silvia tapped her finger against her chin in deep thought. "How did I forget this? He has the same name as that stupid phone app... Sharlaton?"

"...Shazam?" The boy said, but accompanying his word came a strike of lightning. Suddenly there was no longer a 12 year-old boy standing in front of her, but a man so big he barely fit in the door frame. "Oh... Darn it!"

Silvia stared up at him wide eyed. She blinked... then blinked again. Her mouth fell open, jaw seeming to lose all strength. He was literally 12 years old. Her mind was refusing to process it.

Shazam gulped. "Please don't tell anyone! Cyborg will be so mad at me!"

Silvia could do nothing but stare. She wasn't even able to utter a reply. By this stage it was obvious that Shazam knew who she was, he seemed observant enough to pick up on her voice... unless he had some other way of knowing.

Regardless of why he knew, or how it was even possible for him to be Shazam, Silvia forced herself to turn back around. The superhero behind her called out to her in confusion but that only made her walk faster. She wasn't going to tell anyone, but that didn't mean she wasn't scarred for life.

The platform at the train station was so empty that it looked like a crime scene. Silvia was starting to wonder where everyone was before she felt an unusual gust of wind blow her hair back. If she wasn't already dazed and confused, she certainly was in those brief few moments. That quickly disappeared though when she looked up to see Superman.

"Ugh... not today, Golden Boy." Silvia groaned. "I just found out that Shazam is twelve years younger than me and the whole concept is giving me a head ache."

Superman chuckled. "Don't worry, I felt the same when I found out."

Silvia's brow furrowed and her silvery eyes flicked back up at him. "Did you just come here to make small talk? Whatever it is, make it quick. I don't want to be seen talking to you."

"I suppose I could say the same." Superman retorted, though he seemed to understand why. Being seen with any superhero, least of all him, was sure to get her attention she didn't want on her secret identity. "I heard that there was trouble here but by the time I arrived you and Shazam had apparently already cleaned up the mess."

"And?" Silvia shifted on the spot, arms crossing and foot tapping against the concrete beneath her.

"And I just wanted to say that you did the right thing."

"I punched a guy in the face a few times, hardly something worthy of praise." Silvia sighed. "But as easy as he was, I can at least add Bane to the list of people from your circle that I've beaten."

"So he'll be second on the list then?" Superman teased.

"Third, actually." Silvia felt a smirk threaten to quirk onto her lips but she fought against it.

"Nightwing doesn't count, he was only playing with you." Superman crossed his arms over his chest, charming smile never faltering. "He tends to go easy on pretty girls."

Silvia scoffed. "He doesn't even know what I look like."

"He has his ways."

"Whatever." Silvia huffed. "It still counts. If he went easy on me that's his problem."

Superman's grin widened to one of mirth but Silvia made an effort to look away from him. They were getting along a little too well for her liking.

"Where is this stupid train?..." Silvia muttered in irritation, glancing over at the clock to find that it was over half an hour late.

"That's the other reason I came." Superman suddenly spoke again, his low voice making Silvia inwardly cringe. It use to fill her with fury, but now she felt herself drawn to it. Her body automatically rejected the idea that she was starting to like the sound. "Black Adam broke a hole in the tracks. It'll be a few days before the repairs are done."

"Fanfuckingtastic..." Silvia groaned. "Why is it that you only ever bring me bad news?"

"Well, the good news is I'm heading back to Metropolis now so I can drop you off."

Silvia's throat dried. It felt like she hadn't had a drink in days. "I-I'm not in the business of asking you for favours!"

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

Silvia felt her body shake at the thought of flying that high up. No, not happening. "And I'm declining. I'll find my own way back, thanks."

Superman's laugh lines deepened at the effort it took for him not to laugh. "Are you... scared?"

The word instantly riled Silvia up. Her head shot in his direction and her whole face contorted. "D-Don't be ridiculous!"

"Then why don't you come with me then?"

In that instant Silvia's stubborn nature outweighed her terror. The last thing she wanted was to look weak. "M-Maybe I will!" She shouted, knowing straight away that she'd regret her decision.

Superman held out his hand. "Whenever you're ready."

Silvia swallowed whatever nerves threatened to arise. She couldn't back down now... and surely it wouldn't be that bad. Whether she actually believed that or not, she grasped onto his hand anyway.

In less than a second she was pulled to his chest, his arm moving to firmly hold her waist. Part of her wanted to growl at him to never touch her again, but another part recognised the feeling of his hand. Her brow crinkled, trying to figure out why that was but she didn't have much time to think.

Just as she was about to say something her feet left the ground. A small squeak became lodged in her throat as she dared to look down. The ground was getting further and further away. Suddenly she felt insecure and her arms flew around Superman's neck instinctually.

Fear sat on Silvia like a pillow over her mouth and nose. With every gust of wind that entered her lungs she felt like she was suffocating, yet still her body somehow kept functioning. Silvia's heart rate accelerated, and though she tried to remain calm, eventually she couldn't hide the panic.

"O-Okay, I take it back!" She gasped, staring down at the ground that was now nothing more than a landscape. "I-I'm scared! P-Please put me down!"

Silvia felt Superman's arm tense around her, then a breeze so strong that she found herself clinging to the man for dear life. When she opened her eyes she was floating above the roof of her apartment and finally being put down. The ceiling below her creaked as if it wanted to give way but she'd been up there so many times that she was confident that it wouldn't.

As soon as she had registered that she was on something solid again, she shakily walked towards a nearby generator and leaned on top of it. Her breathing still wouldn't calm down. Every inhale sounded like a painful wheeze.

"Sorry, it's difficult to tell fear from adrenaline. I should have payed more attention." Superman's eyes softened in concern. "Most women love going flying with me,

"They're insane, clearly." Silvia said through gasps.

"Never thought you'd be afraid of heights." Superman teased, though the worry didn't quite seem to leave his face. "Next time I'll make sure to distract you from it."

"W-What makes you think there'll be a next time, smart-ass?!"

"Just a hunch." He replied, tone suggesting that he knew something that she didn't. That brought back the annoyance she use to feel toward him. "See you next time, Sil."

Silvia narrowed her eyes at the hero as he left. Not only was she outraged at his assumption that she'd ever allow him to fly her somewhere again, but the use of her nickname irritated her further. She could only assume that Starfire had told him...

"What do you mean by 'a hunch'?!" Silvia practically yelled into the empty sky. "Hey! I know you can still hear me!!"

There was still no answer, well apart from a homeless man on the street that screamed at her to shut up. Silvia huffed. She was never going to fly again as long as she had any say in it.


	23. Twenty-Three

**_Chapter Twenty-Three: Making Plans_**

It had just stopped raining when Silvia heard about the recent attack on Metropolis. She had gotten dressed in record time and sped as fast as her legs could carry her down to the centre of the city... but by the time she got there it was over.

Green Lantern, Nightwing, Wonder Woman, Starfire, Cyborg, and Shazam were all there cleaning up the mess. She also spotted a rather short boy that was entirely green. No, not just his clothes, his skin, hair and everything but the whites of his eyes were coloured in that shade. He even had fangs on his bottom set of teeth. Beast Boy, that was his name. She had seen him pop up a few times when she decided to do some research on Starfire.

In the distance she saw Superman lifting the culprit into the air, likely to take him back to jail. His gaze caught hers as if the mask still covering her face was no obstacle for him and he smiled. He almost looked proud to see her there. Silvia bit her lip and looked away, grumbling something about him looking like a doofus.

Superman's grin widened but he couldn't stay to tease her about it. Before she knew it he was gone, and she was left standing awkwardly within a throng of so-called heroes.

To say that she appeared out of place would be an understatement. The rest of them at least had some colour to their costumes, even Nightwing had bits of blue on him, but she was draped in shadows with a mask that would send a small child into a fit of terror if she ever tried to save one.

Shazam spotted her just as she turned to leave and quickly flew in front of her. He towered compared to her; she only barely came up to his chest. That made the truth even more awkward.

"Reaper! I need to talk to you!" He boomed, his voice carrying through the vicinity much more than it would have if he was in his true form.

"Look, I'm not going to tell anyone about your secret if that's what this is about." Silvia replied in a hushed tone, glancing over her shoulder to see that Shazam's volume had grabbed the attention of some of the others.

"Oh, thank goodness!" He sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Then maybe you'd like to go bowling with me tonight! A ton of my friends from school are going!"

Silvia felt something become lodged in her throat, but that was nothing compared to how taken back she was by his invitation. To hear something so childish come out of such a large men was still daunting. "Umm... I don't think so."

"Aww come on, please? You already know my identity and I know yours, we should try and get along!" Shazam's eyes seemed to plead at her in a way that may have been cute on a kid, but on a grown man it was just weird. "You can bring your friends too if you want!"

Silvia stifled a laugh. Friends? She couldn't have less of them if she tried. "Look I appreciate the offer, pipsqueak, but I really don't understand why you're asking me of all people."

Shazam huffed. "I like to forget that the world needs saving sometimes, it can be really hard knowing that it never gets better no matter how many times you try. I just thought maybe you needed a break as well..."

Silvia's gaze softened though he had no way of seeing it. Now she truly could imagine him as the age he was... It must have been difficult being so young and carrying even more responsibility then even she did.

"Also, if I bring a hot chick my friends are totally gonna flip out."

Silvia narrowed her eyes at him. Well, she certainly didn't feel sorry for him anymore. "Take Starfire."

"Yeah, like it won't be obvious that something's up if I bring an orange chick with glowing eyes." He said sarcastically.

Behind her Silvia could sense people approaching, likely the ones that noticed they were talking beforehand; Green Lantern and Nightwing.

"Look, I really don't think this is a good idea..." She sighed.

"I think it's a great idea." Shazam's bottom lip stuck out and his arms folded over his chest. Was he... pouting?

"I just..." Silvia's shoulders slumped in defeat. How was she suppose to deny a twelve year old the distraction from a world of absolute shit? "Fine. I'll go."

Shazam's eyes widened. "R-Really?!"

"Don't make me say it again."

The man's lips stretched into a grin and his posture straightened. "Awesome! I'll see you tonight at five! Bring your friends!"

In an instant Shazam was off, disappearing into the night before Silvia could mutter "but I don't have any!"

She figured that he hadn't heard her because there was absolutely no answer. Silvia sighed... She didn't want to be laughed at by a bunch of kids for being a complete loser.

"What was that about bowling?" Green Lantern finally stepped beside her. "I can pretend to be your friend for the night if you want."

"Ugh... I can't think of anything I'd want less..." Silvia groaned.

"How about two people pretending to be your friends?" Came the familiar voice of Nightwing as he appeared at her other side, a smug look on his face. "You aren't exactly in the position to be picky, not if you don't want to embarrass yourself."

"I don't have to prove myself to a bunch of preteens!" Silvia said in annoyance despite it feeling like a complete lie.

"You sure about that?" Nightwing smirked and Silvia growled at him.

"If I'm being honest, I think you did a really great thing for Billy. It's easy to forget that he's still just kid." Green Lantern said, a rare moment of sincerity coming from him. "I can barely handle the pressure as it is, I can't imagine what it would have been like if I was his age. If there's ever anything I can do to give him a few minutes to be a regular kid I'll do it... So, can I be your plus one?"

Silvia blinked him in slight surprise. He really did sound like he cared about this. "Well, alright..." She turned to Nightwing who was readjusting his mask. "And you?"

"Oh, I just want to kick everyone's ass at bowling." He smiled and Silvia rolled her eyes beneath her mask.

"You can come, only because I want to watch you eat your words when I win."

Nightwing grinned and she just knew he was about to give her some smart ass comment before she heard her phones message tone blare through the air.

"Is that... the Terminator theme?" Green Lantern asked half amused and half surprised.

Silvia struggled to reach her hand into her extremely tight pocket and pulled it out. "You say one word and you're automatically uninvited."

Green Lantern now looked just as entertained as Nightwing... and that was saying something. Silvia chose to ignore it and glanced down at the phone screen. 'Can't wait to see you tonight - Clark'

Fuck.

She had completely forgotten that they had a date planned. He was meant to be cooking her dinner. Guilt automatically washed over her. He had told her it was an important night too... That he had something to tell her. Silvia's expression twisted into one of regret.

"I gotta go..." She said, not giving the two heroes a second glance. "I'll see you later."

The rush to Clark's was a long one. She was so adamant about reaching him in time that she only stopped off home to throw her regular clothes on top of her costume and stuff her mask into her pocket. It was almost four by the time she got there.

Clark swung open the door not long after she had knocked, expression brightening at the sight of her. "Sil? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but weren't you suppose to be here about two hours from now?"

Silvia shifted on the spot uncomfortably, trying not to meet his gaze. Seeing him smile would only make her feel worse. "Yeah... about that..." She started, head hung low.

Clark's brow furrowed in concern. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"W-Well, there's this kid right? A-And he's got it pretty rough..." Silvia tried to come up with how to explain this to Clark but she couldn't find any way around it. A large exhale escaped her lungs. "I may have p-promised him that I'd go bowling... I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to change our plans for tonight?"

She glanced up just in time to see Clark's shoulders slump very slightly and his smile weaken. He looked disappointed. He sighed and composed himself. "Well, I did cancel last time so I guess this makes us even."

Silvia's eyes widened. "Y-You're not mad?"

"What?" Clark looked a little surprised at her words. Had he ever been angry at her for something so small?... Had he ever expressed anger towards her at all outside of his costume? He was positive that he hadn't, and this only made him worry. The more she exposed herself to him the more he saw just how scared she was that he'd suddenly hate her. "Of course not. Bowling sounds like more fun then I had planned anyway."

Silvia froze for a second, searching his eyes for any sign of annoyance. Like usual, there was none. A shaky smile rested on her face; relieved and genuine but somehow sad. "You're the best." She said and he could have sworn that he saw her eyes glistening under the sunlight.

Silvia laid both hands on either side of his face and stood up on her tiptoes. She pressed her lips against his and Clark instantly tensed... He always did that when they kissed. Silvia's fingers caressed his cheek as she leaned back, lips slowly parting from each other. She stared at him in confusion like every other time this had happened.

"Why does it feel like you're holding back?" She finally built up the courage to ask. It was like he overthought every movement. He'd kiss back but only barely, in a way that seemed stiff and controlled. He'd touch her waist or her hair but she knew he was over thinking it. He was like a robot... One that was afraid to hurt her if he didn't think all of his actions through.

Clark bit his lip and shrugged. "Guess I'm just a bad kisser."

"That's definitely not it." Silvia said in a defeated tone. She knew he'd never answer the question even if there was an exact reason.

Clark gave her a faint smile but desperately changed the subject. "So, where are we meeting everyone?"

Silvia froze. Shazam hadn't told her where to go. "Uhh... the bowling alley?"

"I figured that much out for myself." Clark teased. "Which one?"

"Umm..."

"You don't know, do you?" Clark said with a hint of amusement in his tone.

"No idea."

"Well where does this kid live?"

"Fawcett City."

Clark raised an eyebrow at her. "Fawcett City?" His lips tightened as if the answer were obvious. "You do realise there's only one bowling alley in that city, right? Safe bet they're meeting us there."

Silvia tilted her head to the side oddly then gave a rather awkward laugh. "O-Oh yeah! I totally knew that!"

Clark felt a chuckle rumble in his chest. She may have been clueless but it was somehow charming. It made him feel like a regular person whenever he was with her... but this was also dangerous. He couldn't afford to forget that he wasn't.

Clark looked down at her affectionately as she tried to brush off her embarrassment then there was a sound, a scream for help.

Silvia glanced up the moment Clark seemed to tense. He was concentrating on something, like he could hear something that she couldn't. That was impossible though, it was Clark... He didn't have hearing like her.

"I just remembered that I have some errands to run." Clark said in an almost rushed tone. "It might be best if I just meet you there."

"Alright." Silvia shrugged. She was use to this by now. She thought that he'd eventually run out of 'errands' but apparently that wasn't the case. She went to descend the stairs, turning around a second later to say goodbye but Clark was no longer there.


	24. Twenty-Four

**_Chapter Twenty-Four: Strike_**

In the bowling alley was a group of teenagers, two of them looking like they'd grown too much too soon. The others weren't so thin, at least one sporting some pre-growth spurt chub. Every one of them wore a hoodie pulled up over a baseball cap and jeans hung so low that their legs appeared shorter. They had just finished their fourth game.

On the other side of the building was a bunch of kids, all laughing and stuffing their faces with the food laid out in front of them. There was chips, burgers, and soda to feed the whole lot of them; including the two adults that sat with them.

"So, we're just waiting on Rea-" One of them started, halting instantly and glancing over at the kids. "I mean, we're still waiting on the scary chick?"

"The 'scary chick'?" The other laughed. "Smooth, Hal."

"What else am I suppose to call her? I don't know her name." Hal leaned back in his chair. "Speaking of which, have you ever seen what she looks like?"

The other man shook his head, running a hand through his jet black hair. He was only about 5'10 in height compared to Hal who was 6'2. He made sure to wear a shirt that showed off his well defined muscles though, something that the girl's in the vicinity appeared overjoyed about.

The same couldn't be said for Hal who was wearing a thick pilot's jacket that covered most of his size, with white fur around the collar, his last name on the breast and various patches littering the sleeves and chest.

"I have!" Billy suddenly answered, the kids beside him too distracted by the food to pay attention to the conversation.

"Wait, really?" Hal said curiously.

"Is she hot?" The other man spoke up, shuffling forward in his seat. "I've always had a feeling that she'd be hot."

Hal shook his head playfully. "Is that really all you want to know, Dick?"

Richard tapped his index finger against his chin, pretending like he was thinking it through before grinning. "Yeah, pretty much."

Billy's eyes glimmered mischievously and he shook his head of thick, dark hair. "I'm not telling! You'll have to wait and see." The boy apparently thought it was rather entertaining to watch them wonder who lay behind the terrifying mask.

Every single person that passed by them, no matter how old or which gender, would instantly invoke a reaction from the two men. Billy thought it was hilarious. The last was a waiter, a man with a lean build and scruffy red hair. They had both narrowed their eyes and tried to imagine him in the Reaper costume.

"Could be him?" Hal had said when he began walking in their direction.

"No way, Dude. Reaper's a girl!" Richard said positively despite the skeptical look he gave the man. "She has boobs... Have you not noticed that she has boobs?"

"Well, the voice was more of a giveaway for me..." Hal said as the waiter finally turned off from their direction. "But I'm not surprised that's what you first noticed."

Richard had his usual smug expression plastered on his face, one that completely dropped at the next person that entered the building. A girl with long blonde hair and eyes like a crystal lake. For every ray of sunlight that weaved through those strands of gold, her skin got none - she was paler than even he was.

She wore a black tank top that was barely long enough to cover her stomach, and with every step she took it shifted up enough to reveal her hips. On top of this was a plaid, long sleeve shirt that remained unbuttoned and was worn like a jacket. Her hands were rested in her worn-out jean pockets, and her eyes flicked around the room like she was searching for someone.

Richard leaned forward to nudge Hal on the shoulder. "She's totally my type."

Hal rolled his eyes. "Everyone's your type."

Richard grinned but didn't look like he was going to argue against that. Although it wasn't entirely true he would never turn down a pretty girl.

As the woman started wandering through the bowling alley a few of the men turned to look at her, some completely obvious about it and others trying to do it discreetly.

"Ain't that cute." Richard started. "They think they have a chance while I'm here."

"Dick, why are you such a dick?" Hal said, smile widening on his face. "We're suppose to be here for Billy, not picking up random chicks."

"Can't I do both?"

Billy, who had been much more entertained by the conversation going on between the two men rather than his own classmates, stood up on his chair and waved both arms in the air to grab the girl's attention.

Hal and Richard seemed almost confused by this until the blonde girl started walking over to them. They exchanged a quick look but glanced back just as the girl arrived at their shared tables.

"You really came! I thought for sure that you'd change your mind!" Billy cheered.

"Don't get too excited, I almost did." She replied in a voice far too familiar and distinct to be mistaken. It was lower than most girls. It had the slightest rasp to it that made each harsh word sting just that little bit more, and if she were ever to say something even remotely sweet, it would surely sound more like an insult than a compliment.

Billy grinned at the looks on his friends faces and puffed his chest out. He was certainly going to be the cool kid in his group for the next week. "I never told you my name. I'm Billy."

"Of course you are." Silvia smirked. Billy sounded like a stereotypical little boy's name to her.

One of the men stood up and held out a hand. "I'm Hal."

"You don't look any different. I don't know how you get away with it." She said, taking his hand in hers and shaking it. The girl could tell that he was Green Lantern the second she saw him. "Silvia."

"Well you look nothing like I expected, so consider us both surprised."

"What were you expecting?"

"Scars, a missing eye, maybe a few gold teeth." Hal teased. "You know, something scary to go with the title."

"Oh I have scars, you're just never going to see them."

Hal's eyes lit up and he pulled the pilot's jacket higher onto his shoulders. "Yeah, it's definitely her."

The man beside Hal stood as well, still taller than Silvia but he didn't tower over her like the rest. "Good to finally meet the girl that broke my wrist." He said with a sly yet charming smile. "I'm Dick Grayson."

A snort sounded from Silvia and she swiftly covered her nose and mouth with her hand to try and hold in her laughter. Her eyes squinted then began to water before finally giggles bubbled passed her lips without her permission. This soon turned into hysterics.

The kids turned to look at her and she pointed at the man. "H-His name's..." she took a deep breath to try and get the word out but it was followed by another wave of chuckles. "D-Dick!"

The kids glanced over at the man in silence before, finally, erupting into laughter as well. Even Hal was finding it difficult to keep a straight face.

"Oh yeah, very original." Richard rolled his eyes. "Not like I didn't get that at school everyday of my teenage life."

Hal patted him on the back, still trying to suppress his amusement. "You can get her back when we start the game... That is, if you think you're up for it."

"She's going down." Richard grinned cockily.

"Is everyone here?" Billy asked, moving away from his friend group and over to the three adults.

"Actually there's still one more person I'm waiting on." Silvia said, eyes locked on the kids in the background to make sure they couldn't hear anything. "And I need to talk to you guys about it first."

"This should be good." Hal said, moving in closer just encase the kids decided to pay attention again.

"Well, the one I invited he... he isn't exactly like us. In fact, he's nothing like us which just adds to his appeal." Silvia sighed, eyes fixed on the entrance and expression darkening. "I just thought I should let you know that he doesn't know about me, or any of you for that matter, so if you mention anything to him I'll rip your spleens out."

Billy gulped, stepping back a little from the girl. "O-Okay, we promise... just please don't make that face anymore."

"Who is this guy exactly?" Hal asked, dimples straining in his cheeks as he looked at Richard. "Looks like you may not have a chance after all."

"There's always a chance." Richard said, winking in Silvia's direction.

Silvia would have threatened the sanctity of his genitals if Clark hadn't walked in the door at that precise moment. She nodded towards him and the three boys turned to get a good look at the last guest.

All of their mouths seemed to drop in unison. To anyone on the outside, like Silvia, it would have appeared like they were having a silent staring competition before the three boys fell into the laughter that was once directed towards Richard.

Silvia's brow furrowed. "What are you laughing at?"

"You seriously don't know?!" Hal said between gasps of air. "That's-" He didn't get to finish his sentence. Clark had silenced him with nothing more than a look. Hal froze. "I mean...uh... I already know Clark. He... He covered one of my test flights at Ferris Air. Yeah. Yeah."

"Really?..." Silvia's tone was drenched in suspicion. "I don't remember reading about tha-"

Richard shot over to Clark and said in a voice loud enough to interrupt Silvia. "Glad you're finally here, she's been talking about you for hours now."

Clark raised an eyebrow at Silvia as a massive blush covered her face. "I-I have not!"

That seemed to distract her from asking anymore questions.

"Clark, was it?" Richard pretended like he was meeting the reporter for the first time, unable to wipe the smirk from his lips. "I'm-"

Now it was his turn to be interrupted. "His name's Dick!" Silvia cackled, holding onto a nearby table and grasping onto her side as stitches began to form.

This time Hal broke. He couldn't stop laughing at the look on Clark's face... He obviously didn't think it was as funny as she did.

Richard shook his head light-heartedly, not appearing the slightest bit bothered by it. "Can we just start the game now so I can wipe that smile off her face?"

Billy jumped at the opportunity, rushing over to the monitor and typing up the names of his classmates. Hal did the same on the other alley, putting in stupid nicknames for the adults. It wouldn't be fair if they versed the kids so they were going to have a seperate game. Hal put his own name down as 'Top Gun', put Clark's down as 'Four-eyes', Silvia's as 'Terminator', and Dick's down as... well, Dick.

In the kids aisle they could hear them giggling and showing off for each other. Billy was way ahead of the rest and his classmates insisted that he was cheating. In the adult aisle Hal, Richard and Silvia were all powering ahead but Clark was so behind that his score was practically none existent.

Hal stood up to the line, a bowling ball in his hand and a playful smile on his face. "So, are you two together?" He asked but it looked like he was directing the question more at Clark. "Because if so she must have been really slumming it to get stuck with you."

Hal laughed at his own joke and rolled the ball for a strike. It seemed like he was going to get one too... but then Clark coughed and the ball changed directions altogether, ending up in the gutter.

"Wow that's too bad, Hal. I really thought you had that one." Clark said with an expression so kind that it started to look sly.

Hal crossed his arms but couldn't hide the smile that refused to rub off his face. "Yeah, you'd think this game was rigged... wouldn't you?"

With Hal out of the picture it was down to Richard and Silvia. They were neck to neck for the title of 'bowling champion', something Billy had come up with only moments ago. Richard got a Spare. Silvia got a Strike. That perfect aim was actually useful for something outside of shooting people.

The words 'Terminator wins' came up on the screen and Silvia fist pumped the air. Hal slipped Clark a twenty dollar bill, having lost a bet he'd placed on Richard to win.

"What was that about wiping the smile from my face?" Silvia taunted, smiling so widely at Richard that she almost looked as smug as he usually did.

"You got lucky." He huffed back.

"No such thing." Silvia sat next to Clark, beaming arrogantly at Richard the whole time. This didn't bother him, in fact it made her even more attractive though he wasn't about to mention that after seeing who she was dating.

The kids had just finished the pizza Clark had brought them when their parents started arriving to pick them up. Once they were all gone Hal turned to Billy and patted him on the shoulder. He knew it must have been hard for an orphan to watch his friends leave with their own families. He was staying in a foster home now but it still wasn't the same. "We'd better get going soon, alright bud?"

Billy nodded and Silvia gasped. That reminded her she was meant to be meeting with a new client tonight. Of course... She was the only one that could make three plans for the same night. The girl jumped out of her seat and swiftly gathered her belongings.

"Ahh... Is everything alright?" Hal asked.

"Wh-What? Oh yeah! Just peachy." Silvia said with an anxious break in her tone. "I just forgot something at home, that's all. I need to leave but thanks for the game."

Clark looked up at her suspiciously and Silvia, without even thinking, pecked him on the cheek before racing for the exit. She gave a half-hearted wave and with that she was gone.

The four men blinked at the the place she was standing just a minute ago... She must've been in a hurry.

Silence drenched the atmosphere until Clark knew Silvia was out of range to hear them speaking. He turned to the others, taking his glasses off briefly to rub his eyes. "I know you've probably got questions." He spoke, voice changing to something a little more natural. "But I'd appreciate it if you kept them to yourselves... and Dick, do the same with your eyes."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Richard lied through a grin. "I was just trying to figure out how you got someone like her."

"Dick's inappropriate staring aside, he's got a point. She doesn't really seem like your type." Hal added.

"This isn't something that I'm willing to discuss." Clark stated, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. In an instant his eyes that were so impossibly bright that they almost glowed were muted by the thick lenses.

Billy's nose crinkled. "Why doesn't she know about you then? Are you going to tell her?"

"I plan to... I just have to find the right time."

"Wow, wait a second." Hal shook his hands in front of him as if it would make people listen more intently. "You're sure about that? I mean, that would give the impression that you're serious about being with her. I thought that maybe you were trying to get information out of her, or that this was just a fling."

"I had my reasons to begin with but now... I don't know. Either way I'm not Bruce, flings aren't exactly my thing." Clark said simply, leaning back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "Speaking of which, don't tell him about this. He already hates that she helps out from time to time, if he finds out I'm dating her he'll explode."

Richard shrugged. "Well, I don't want to be the one dealing with him if he finds out so you've got my word."

"Mine too." Hal said lowly. "But I'm still finding it hard to believe that you're dating Reaper... Just think what you're doing through, man. If you tell her there's no going back, and she's not exactly known to be forgiving."

Billy nodded his agreement as well but he wasn't going to tell anyone regardless, especially not Bruce. He had the displeasure of seeing him angry on two seperate occasions... it was terrifying. "She doesn't seem that bad to me..." Billy said childishly and Hal sighed.

"I know, kiddo."

"I'm sure Clark knows her better than any of us." Richard reached onto the table for his motorcycle helmet and flashed a smirk in the reporters direction. "Try not to blow it because I'm next in line."


	25. Twenty-Five

**_Chapter Twenty-Five: Meet the Parents_**

A week after her clients meeting and Silvia's change in career path was off to a good start. She planned on turning in criminals to the authorities and receiving the rewards from it instead of killing them for a much larger sum, but not every villain was worth a decent amount of money. This meant she needed something else and she thought that detective work might be enough to get her through.

Her first client had a rather boring problem, one that took Silvia no longer than ten minutes to solve. Thankfully Silvia was well compensated for finding the woman's lost cat and could forget about the whole incident easily. The second she had only finished the day before. Someone had hired her to find their son, turns out there was a reason he was so hard to find... She had to dive to the bottom of a murky lake to retrieve his body.

She hadn't had much opportunity to see Clark whilst on that case but today she planned on spending as much time as possible with him. She had already headed out to central Metropolis by 10 a.m on Sunday, Clark's only day off from work.

The streets were the same as usual; packed with people and buildings too tall for her liking. There was only one major difference, and it was something that she almost missed. There was a crowd gathered around one of the nearby apartment lots, gasping and screaming like a bunch of monkeys at an overpopulated zoo.

Silvia grimaced at the sight. She thought they might be watching a fight in the street or one of those magicians that con you out of your money. That changed when another sound pierced her ears. A heart beat, one much more rapid than the rest and breathing so laboured that it could rival a dying man. Actually, that's what it sounded like. Someone inches from death.

Her gaze turned upwards and her enhanced sight zoomed into the distant stretch of architecture. Outside one of the top windows was a boy. He was standing on the ledge with tears glistening in his eyes. He didn't look any older than twenty... and no one was moving to help.

Without a second to think, Silvia dashed through the crowd. She pushed onlookers aside and squeezed through small gaps between them then bolted for the apartment complex. She pushed the button for the elevator restlessly. One second passed and she pressed it again. A mixture of panic and impatience flooded her system, forcing her toward the stairs instead when it took too long.

The staircase was winding and narrow. She climbed it with every ounce of speed and strength that she could muster, tripping over a few times in her rush to reach the top. She got there faster than any normal person could hope for... but the door was locked.

There was no way around it. Opening it would be too loud to go unnoticed by the man on the ledge but it looked like she was all out of options. Silvia stepped back, rolled her hands into fists at her side and kicked down the door. It flew off of its hinges with a loud 'bang' and Silvia rushed inside.

Her timing was awful. The man already had one foot hanging off of the ledge and was midway through jumping. She sprinted to the him, hands out to grab hold of his shirt but when she reached the window she only found air. She had missed him by mere inches.

Silvia leaned over the window instinctually, looking for any sign of him. Her eyes widened and she stepped back into the apartment just as Superman came into view. He had caught the man before he hit the ground and he was now staring up at the hero trying to process how he was still alive.

"Please don't tell me he was running away from you." Superman said with a slight smile in Silvia's direction.

"If I was after him he wouldn't have had to jump." Silvia tried to joke back despite her worry for the man.

Superman flew closer to the window and offered his free hand. "Need help getting down?"

Silvia instantly jumped back, head shaking profusely. "No chance in hell. I'll take the elevator, thanks."

Superman may have tried to tease her about that any other day, but today was intense. It was a moment to be serious. The hero glanced at the man beginning to struggle against his grip and nodded in Silvia's direction. "See you on the ground."

The blonde watched as Superman floated back down, placing the man securely and safely on the concrete. She sighed, hand reaching up to rub her temple as she exited the apartment. Villains and monsters were one thing, but mental illness and depression were completely different demons to face.

The elevator didn't seem to take nearly as long without someone's life on the line and the ride down didn't either. Classical music played for only moments before the doors opened to the bottom floor. Silvia stepped outside to the sight of people fawning over Superman, reporters crowding around him and the suicidal man being seen to by medical professionals.

"Could we get a statement from you Superman?" A worker for The Daily Star asked, pushing back Lois Lane who had almost gotten to him first.

"I'm sorry, but the well-being of the citizen that jumped is my top priority at the moment." He gently nudged through the people surrounding him. "I must see to him first."

Silvia was practically invisible when she made her way over to the back of the ambulance where the boy sat perched on the end. She leaned against the vehicle as Superman arrived there as well.

He gave a very long (and in Silvia's opinion sappy) speech about the value of life and that things would get better. The girl probably rolled her eyes about five times during the whole thing. She didn't know why she was still there. It might have been because she had been in the same state of mind that boy was in... maybe worse.

The medical team returned to take him to hospital. He had no injuries but they wanted to keep a close watch on him.

As the van disappeared into the background Silvia gave a heavy sigh. "You'd better keep an eye on him."

Superman echoed the large exhale. "I will. I just wish he knew that it gets better."

"Look, your little speech was inspiring and all but he doesn't want to know that it gets better, he just doesn't want it to get worse." Silvia crossed her arms, completely avoiding the heroes gaze. "And that's something no one can promise him, not even you."

Superman shifted, eyes never leaving the girl's uncomfortable figure. "I'm sure we can arrange to get him help if it's financial."

"That's not the problem." The girl glanced over to the group of people waiting for Superman to return, Lois among them staring at Silvia skeptically. Superman was an inspiring person, but no one can understand that mindset unless they'd been there themselves. Silvia struggled to find a way to get him to understand, skull pounding with the threat of a headache. "His life could be perfect and he still might have jumped."

Superman's forehead crinkled. "Explain."

"Umm... well, I'm not as good with words as you are but... you know how your brain controls everything, right? Your emotions, movement, information processing, bodily functions, personality... absolutely everything. Well, imagine feeling like your mind, that is suppose to keep you safe and alive, has turned against you. One morning you'll wake up and for no reason at all your mind insists that the worlds burning around you." The girls hands curled against the fabric of her shirt. "At first you're bothered by it but eventually you just stop caring. Someone could drop dead right in front of you and where other people feel sympathy or sorrow, you'll feel jealousy or indifference."

"If we get him help that could change."

"Maybe..." Silvia shrugged. "Maybe not."

"You don't think it's at least worth trying?" Superman sounded a little outraged now.

"I never said that." Silvia finally met his gaze and found a mixture of emotions whirling in his incredibly blue eyes. "For him it could very well be something financial or personal, I'm just saying to not expect it to get better for him just because you say it will. Sometimes there's nothing you can do."

"I won't accept that. There's always something we can do."

With that Superman left her, not even bothering with the reporters waiting eagerly for interviews. He did manage to give them a charming wave though before disappearing into the sky. Silvia sighed. She couldn't exactly hate him for not listening, of more Superheroes cared like he did maybe she wouldn't have been so against them in her younger years. Who was to say that she was right on this anyway? Every mind worked differently so she could only ever speak for herself and the people she'd met.

Silvia checked the time on her phone, seeing now that it was almost 5 p.m. There wasn't a moments hesitation before she set off running again in the direction of Clark's apartment only two blocks away. She wasn't going to miss anymore time.

Silvia's legs were like jelly after the intensity they felt earlier but she ran up to his door regardless. Her fist wrapped on the wooden surface and it was instantly pulled open... but not by Clark.

In his apartment stood two elderly people, one woman and one man. Their hair was an identical shade of grey, and the woman wore glasses just like Clark. The man had a pair hanging from his pocket but they were likely only used for reading.

"Can we help you?" The man said in a kind tone.

"Umm... I'm actually looking for Clark, is he home?" Silvia said a little bewildered.

"Sil, that you?" Came a voice from inside the apartment and Clark suddenly appeared behind the couple.

The old man's expression fell and instantly he was looking at Silvia with eyes of judgement, like he could see right through to her every dark secret. "Ah, so this is the one?" He said in a voice that had lost all its previous pleasantries and resorted straight to hostility.

"E-Excuse me?" Silvia stuttered, taken back by how harsh he sounded towards someone he didn't know.

The man looked like he wanted to say something, to get in her face and tell her off for something she had no idea she had done but his wife placed a hand on his shoulder with a quiet "Jonathan..." and he stepped away.

The woman then looked up at Silvia and forced a smile onto her face. "It's good to finally meet you, I'm Martha and this is Jonathan. I'm sorry he's not in the best of moods today."

"Ahh... That's alright?" Silvia was still confused, partly because she wasn't expecting anyone else to be there.

Clark looked a little nervous but once his father had silenced his shoulders relaxed. "Sil, these are my parents. They came over to visit just a few days ago."

"O-Oh!" Silvia gulped, nerves instantly rushing through her body. This wasn't how she was expecting to meet the 'in-laws'... "I-Its nice to meet you, U-Umm... Sorry, I should have brought lunch for all of us or... something."

God, this was embarrassing. She had no idea how to act around people's parents.

"No, that's alright we were just leaving anyway." Martha was trying hard to be civil, but Silvia could tell that she too was cautious of her.

Both of Clark's parents said their goodbyes to him, Martha giving him a kiss on the cheek and Jonathan a handshake before they left. They walked right passed Silvia with a suitcase dragging behind them. Jonathan didn't say a word but Martha managed a wave.

"Something tells me that your parents aren't all that fond of me..." Silvia muttered a little disheartened.

"Don't worry about them, they'll come around." Clark tried to lighten her mood, taking her by the hand and leading her inside. Her expression didn't change though and Clark grimaced. "Are you alright?"

Silvia nodded unconvincingly. Clark couldn't blame her for feeling down. After everything that happened that morning and now to be treated so oddly by his father... She was probably confused. Clark tried to think of a way to cheer her up but could only come up with one, something that she had been asking for and he had been avoiding.

"You wanted to stay over sometime soon, right?" Clark spoke in an anxious tone and instantly grabbed Silvia's attention. She nodded a little more surely this time. "Well, I'm not doing anything tomorrow. You can stay tonight."

Silvia's eyes widened. "B-But I didn't bring a change of clothes."

"You can borrow some of mine." Clark smiled at how fast Silvia seemed to get distracted by the prospect of sleeping there. "Go get into something more comfortable and we can order some take-out."

The girl leaped at the opportunity and within seconds she had dashed into Clark's room. It had certainly taken her mind off of his father's disapproval, but she knew that was the reason he had done it. Knowing that he cared enough to try and cheer her up with something he had been so hesitant about made one thing clear. She was falling for him... harder and faster than she thought possible.

With this realisation came the knowledge that it was time to tell him. He needed to know who she really was. Though she knew he was likely to leave her and tell the whole world about it, she cherished him enough to try. Someday soon she'd explain everything to him, but not tonight. She wanted a little more time with him as a regular person... No past and no future. Just the present.


	26. Twenty-Six

**_Chapter Twenty-Six: Graveyard_**

The night was cold for Metropolis. It leaked into even the thick walls of Clark's apartment and shivered up Silvia's spine. She spent most of the night huddled close to her boyfriend, eating dinner and watching movies. Silvia herself loved old action films, where as Clark seemed to have a soft spot for romances. There was no way he was ever going to get Silvia to watch one of those...

Only when it was two in the morning did they plan on going to bed. Clark had insisted he take the couch but Silvia had reached up and pulled herself towards him, and the rest of his words were lost against her mouth. He kissed her gently, carefully, but it wasn't gentleness she wanted, not now, not after all this time, and she knotted her fists in his shirt, pulling him harder against her.

He groaned softly, low in his throat, but it didn't change. He remained careful and precise, his muscles tensing against every movement. Silvia pouted against his lips but his control only made her more determined to break it.

Silvia tugged his shirt over his head. Clark's glasses became crooked in the process but he was quick to straighten them again, not that it mattered because Silvia was too surprised by the amount of muscle he was hiding to notice.

Her fingertips grazed across his defined abs then up to his broad shoulders. She knew he was big but she thought most of that had to do with his height. Clark regularly wore loose clothing and large coats that did well in masking his figure.

Clark's eyes followed her hands as if it was the only of his four senses that he had left. He shivered when he saw that her hands were touching him, not when he felt it. Silvia gaped at the man in front of her before leaning back in to kiss him. Nothing had changed. He was still holding back.

Silvia growled impatiently and opted for kissing down his neck. Still his hands stayed gentle against her skin, hovering so lightly that he was barely touching her at all. She pushed away from him, eyebrows furrowing. He had a lot more restraint than anyone she'd ever been with...

Silvia had always been a little anxious about her body, but her stubbornness quickly outweighed that. Nine months was a long time for her to be in a relationship and not make it physical.

Her fingers were trembling as she gripped the bottom of her shirt. She swallowed any fear that accompanied this and pulled it off. She started slow, making sure he could savour each section of her pale skin as it was revealed and then threw the fabric into the corner of his room.

Silvia's body was athletic with hints of muscle peeking in various places; you could clearly outline the abs on her stomach. The skin was by no means flawless though. There were scars faded into places she'd been dealt a significant blow, including the shiv Batman had buried into her side.

They were visible enough that she knew Clark could see them but she hoped above all else that he wouldn't question her on it... at least not yet.

Clark, thankfully, didn't look like he was going to. In fact he had a look in his eyes that she had never seen in them before; something she'd been trying to provoke. It was unrestrained and instinctual... everything she wanted him to feel.

Silvia sauntered back over to him and crashed her lips against his. There was a moment, however brief, where it seemed like Clark might actually let go but then he jumped back as of he'd been burnt by a raging fire. There was a look of panic suddenly on his face but she couldn't comprehend why.

"We shouldn't be doing this..." Clark said in a breathy tone.

"What do you mean?" Silvia asked, concern crawling into her expression.

"I... I'm sorry, Sil." Clark's back hit the wall behind him and he took a deep inhale to try and calm himself. "We can't do this, not yet."

Her brows knitted together and her arms quickly went in front of her, now all too aware of the scars that littered her body. "Are you not attracted to me or something?"

Clark's eyes widened and his hand immediately gestured towards her. "Are you kidding me? Of course I am... I know it doesn't make much sense now but I promise I'll explain myself soon."

Disappointment washed over the blonde, gnawing at her with questions she had no answer for. Was his reason really so specific that he needed to dedicate time to explaining it? Silvia could understand if he wasn't ready but that didn't seem like the case and it worried her.

Regardless, she forced a smile onto her face and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Okay, but could you sleep in the same bed as me tonight instead?"

Clark relaxed in her arms and kissed her forehead. "If that's what you want."

Though she had been taken a little off guard by Clark's rejection Silvia was grateful for it later. As they cuddled on the Queen-size mattress she was reminded of the things she still had to tell him. It was probably best that he know the truth before they went too far... and this was even more motivation to tell him.

Silvia didn't sleep. She couldn't. Her eyes refused to close or even look away from the sleeping man. This might be the last time she sees him like this... It might be the last time she sees him at all.

She'd been waiting for the morning for so long that Silvia barely believed comprehended it when the sharp shadows cast by the street-lamps through the blinds started to fade, diluted by the onset of daylight. Then a chorus of birds broke the drone of the city traffic and Clark awoke not long afterwards.

The day was much too humid for Silvia's liking and so she stayed at his house until it started cooling down in the late afternoon. She spent the whole morning trying to build up the courage to admit who she really was to him but it was harder than she originally thought.

It wasn't until she was already out the door and ready to leave that she found the strength, but she refused to do it out in the open. "Clark?" She said in a small, shaky voice. "Can you walk me home?... I have something I want to show you."

Clark's head tilted to the side curiously but he managed a nod. He preferred knowing she got home safely anyway.

The walk was mostly quiet, something unusual for them. Typically Silvia would be asking Clark questions about his childhood and trying to know him even more than she already did, then completely dodge any of his own enquiries. She was scared. If it wasn't obvious before it certainly was now.

Just as the two entered Southside Silvia took a sharp turn right, and though he wanted to know why this was, he followed her without much resistance... directly into the cemetery.

Rows of tombstones stood in silence to the left and right, in front and behind, like a sea of the dead. Some were crumbled with the weathering of centuries, some were smooth marble with new black writing and laid with floral tributes. Most though, were overgrown and unkempt. Upon the hill a new grave had been dug to await it's new occupant but it was unlikely they'd arrive for another day or two.

Silvia came to an abrupt halt and kneeled in front of a particular row of graves. Clark followed suite, though with a lot more hesitancy.

"What are we doing here?" He asked in an unsure tone.

Silvia's silvery eyes flicked up to him with a smile so weak that it nearly broke his resolve. "I met your mother yesterday." She said softly, turning back to one of the tombstones. "I thought you should meet mine too."

Clark's gaze followed hers, eyes scanning the etchings carved into the stone. 'Jessica Blackwood. Beloved daughter, mother and wife.' Something became caught in the reporters throat and suddenly he didn't know how to react. She had never said more than two words about herself and now she was being laid bare in front of him.

"I'm so sorry..." He said sadly but she quickly shrugged and dismissed his apology altogether. He knew she was not one to want his sympathy, and so he asked the first thing that came to mind after that. "Blackwood? Was that her maiden name?"

"Not exactly..." Silvia sighed. She knew this was the first question he'd ask. "It was her married name... and my real one."

Clark's gaze quickly snapped in her direction, lips parting in shock. "What do you mean?" The words slipped out of his mouth. It was, of course, a rhetorical question... or was it? His mind wasn't registering most of this new information. "Stone isn't your last name?"

"Legally, no... but I prefer being called Stone. It was my mother's maiden name."

Clark's mouth formed an uncharacteristic grim line. Almost robotically his hand rose upward to touch the grave marker beside her mother's, moving away any vines or shrubs that hid the writing. 'Mason Blackwood. Beloved son and brother.' His eyes were almost as still as some bill board poster. "And this is your-"

"My brother, yeah."

Now Clark understood all too well why she didn't talk about herself. This would be a hard burden for anyone to carry. "How did they..."

Silvia's eyes shifted to the side again and became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As she blinked, they dripped from her eyelids and slid down her cheeks. She bit her lip tightly in attempt to hide any sound that wanted to escape from her mouth; Clark's heart sank.

"I've got something I need to tell you first. If you still want to know after that I promise I'll tell you anything you want." Her voice strained to remain strong, and though she succeeded, it made Clark wonder how many times she'd had to ignore her feelings.

Clark nodded, not able to find any words that weren't questions. He'd waited months to fully understand her and the reasons she had for killing... Now that he was finally getting it he wasn't sure if he wanted it.

Silvia reached into her pocket and, just as Clark had realised what she was about to do, she pulled out a familiar mask. It was fully black with a hand drawn, obscure skull on the front. She handed it to him, completely avoiding his gaze.

"That figure you hear about on the news, the one that Lois wrote about... I'm her. I'm Reaper."

She had her eyes cast downwards, refusing to even spare Clark a glance... and he was honestly grateful that he didn't have to feign shock in his current sorrow. He still let silence wash over them for long enough to appear like he had no idea, then finally passed the mask back to her.

"I've got something I have to tell you too." Clark said but this seemed to stricken Silvia with fear.

"I-I know you probably hate me, I would hate me too... but you've changed me, well you and someone else." Silvia's mind wandered to Superman, an image that she quickly shook out of her head. "I'll answer any questions you have, any at all. I don't want to hide myself from you anymore."

Clark knew he should have revealed himself as well... He knew it was the right thing to do, and yet he couldn't pass up this opportunity. She would no doubt be too shocked to answer any questions if he told her, and the whole reason he had seeked her out in the first place was to discover why she felt the need to kill. To change her perspective.

"Reaper... She's killed in the past." Clark started, uncertain whether he wanted the answer or not. "You've killed. Why?"

"I... I thought it was the right thing to do." She replied vaguely and Clark gave a deep exhale.

"There's more to it than that. I know there is. Tell me everything."

Her lower lip quivered as words slowly made their way out of her mouth. She had never told anyone before but he had the right to know. "My father... He was a monster." She gulped down the tremors that threatened to engulf her. "He abused us, my mother and I most of all. We'd protect Mason from the brunt of it because he was young and fragile. We were scared that if my father went too far he'd end up killing him, like he almost had to me."

Clark placed a hand on her shivering shoulder, eyes lowering in regret. He never should have asked about this...

"He got worse by the day and when he heard about a serum that gave Deathstroke his enhanced abilities it turned into an obsession. When it started getting out of hand my mother had asked him about it and he beat her within an inch of her life... My grandmother confronted him on it." Silvia shivered, trying to hold back a sob that scratched in her throat. She could still remember her grandma; kind, caring, and her favourite person in the world. Her only escape. "He killed her."

Clark's jaw clenched. "Sil... You can stop if it's too much."

"N-No, if I don't finish this story now then I never will." Silvia rubbed her reddening eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "He hid her body. I still don't know where he dumped her. My mother was as distraught as I was and went to the police, begging them to give him the death penalty. This wasn't the first time he had murdered someone, it was just the first time she was certain he had done it."

"Did they, you know... kill him?"

"No... They arrested him. Mom pleaded with them, said he knew people in prison. Said that he'd escape and come after us but they didn't listen." Her mother's voice rang sharply in her head, erratic cries drowning out the world around her. "He had connections in the police force and was out of prison within the week. I'd never seen my mom so terrified, but for a while he left us alone. That only scared her more."

"Why didn't you move?"

"Mom was saving up to do that but it wasn't as easy as getting up and leaving. My father had eyes everywhere, he would have known no matter where we went." Silvia bit her quivering lip and her fingers grazed against the tombstone. "When he finally did come back for us he'd found a serum similar to the one used on Deathstroke... but it wasn't stable. It was black market stuff, not made by scientists in a research vicinity but in someone's garage who was trying to mimic its affects. Naturally he wasn't going to risk using it on himself until he knew that it worked."

Clark's chest tightened painfully. The next part was obvious. "He used it on you..."

"He wanted to try it on my brother but I stopped him. He strapped me to a chair in the living room and injected it into my neck." Silvia pulled down her collar to reveal a visible scar from a very large needle. "I don't remember much after that. Just a pain worse than anything i'd ever felt. It was like my whole body; my bones, my muscles, my organs, they were being twisted and remade. Like they were bursting out of my body and being replaced. Then my heart stopped... I could hear it. I heard myself die."

Clark was horrified. He could never imagine someone so cruel, and yet he was reminded every day that people like her father existed. It made him feel physically ill. "How old were you?"

"Twelve, maybe... I don't really remember." Silvia gulped. Saying all of this out loud was more painful than keeping it to herself. "I woke up though, and when I did the world around me was suddenly overwhelming. I could hear conversations from a few blocks away, all mixing together in my mind like a chorus of different voices saying different things. I could see an ant on the sidewalk outside my window so close that it looked like a giant."

This part Clark could relate to. He knew how scarring it was the first time your powers appeared... but at least his happened gradually. Hers were forced onto her all at once.

"I was so scared that I spent longer than I should have just curled in a corner, trying to control whatever was happening to me. Then I smelt something metallic. When I opened my eyes I saw a pool of blood... I followed the trail and found my moms body. She was mutilated..." The blonde struggled to get the words out now. It was like they were stuck inside of her and clinging to her vocal chords. "B-But not nearly as bad as my brother was... H-He was unrecognisable."

Something stirred within Clark. An anger he had felt few times before. A rage he had to contain. His fingers wrapped into fists, leaning against the soil like they were going to punch through it at any moment.

"The police came and saw it. Two dead and me the only survivor. They thought I had done it. I was interviewed by multiple people, took tons of lie detector tests, and even had two so-called 'superheroes' come in and question me. They knew that I was telling the truth, but when I was put before the court and judged as guilty they did nothing to stop it."

Images flashed in Silvia's head. Of her being dragged away, screaming and crying that she hadn't done it and of the 'heroes' watching it happen. One of them looked almost amused at the sight where as the other one, some older version of Blue Beetle, appeared distressed. He was a rookie and therefore didn't know how to disagree with the court's decision.

Silvia took a shaky breath but managed to continue. "I was too young to be tried as an adult so they put me in a juvenile detention centre. I was released the year I turned sixteen because new evidence was found that proved my innocence. I lost four crucial years of my life, years that I should have spent grieving and learning how to survive on my own, all because no one was willing to do the right thing over what was easiest."

"Sil... I..." Clark tried to find words but he had none. What was he to say about any of this? Maybe if he had been around he could have stopped it... He could have saved her.

"It's alright. It's not your fault, Dorothy." It was as if she had read his mind. Silvia's lips tried to curl into a reassuring smile but they broke into a frown instead. "I tried to get on with my life. I moved into my apartment with borrowed money and looked for work wherever I could find it... but the serum had done something to me. Any darkness my mind had discarded reappeared tenfold. I'd have thoughts I didn't want, urges I tried to suppress. Then I started seeing things on the news, murders with no culprits. The circumstances lined up with what my father had done to my family... and I knew it was him."

Clark tensed in fear of what came next. "Did you kill him?"

Silvia shook her head. "Not at first. I tried going to the police but they turned me away, so I tracked him down. I found him just as he was about to commit his next murder... I begged him to stop but he laughed at me. The urge arose again, the serum insisting that I kill him... b-but I couldn't do it. He murdered a whole family that night and I was only able to save the youngest son." Silvia's eyes closed and her face scrunched at the effort it took not to cry. "The boy hated me for it. Said I should have killed him."

"He'd just lost his family, Sil. He was upset... "

"No, he was right. No matter how many times they locked my father up he escaped and killed more people. Eventually I started thinking that the life of a monster wasn't worth the lives of a hundred innocent people. I thought it was selfish to keep him alive just to save my own conscience." Silvia's gaze finally fell to the dug up grave beside her, face darkening. "I searched for him again and gave him another chance. He refused it. He said he would keep killing until he found the answer he was looking for, the serum that would make him a metahuman. He provoked me, and I shot a hole through his chest."

Hearing her say it was more jarring than he thought it would be. He knew where the story was going but he was reminded that Silvia had blood stained on her hands, marks that would never come off no matter how hard he scrubbed.

"They buried him here, right next to my mother." Silvia said lowly.

"Sil... there's nothing in that grave."

"Not anymore there's not." Silvia's eyes flashed with something unspeakable. An animalistic emotion, an instinctual one. "I couldn't let that fucker anywhere near them. Not again."

Clark's eyes widened but he wasn't sure if it was in horror or shock. Maybe it was both. He focused on the soil, looking straight through it to a coffin already placed six feet deep... An empty one. She'd dug him up and chucked his body elsewhere.

He wasn't sure what he felt. Clark knew she had done the wrong thing, but after hearing what she'd been through he couldn't blame her for any of it. He couldn't imagine what kind of person he'd be of he'd lived her life... Just the thought scared him.

"I'm sorry... I tried to get you to stay away. I knew I'd hurt you if you ever found out." Silvia's breathing picked up. Each gasp her lungs gave sounded panicky and nerve-ridden.

She was waiting for him to yell at her or to run away in terror and reveal her in the next issue of the Daily Planet. He did neither.

His arms wrapped around her trembling figure and he pulled her to his chest. "Thank you for telling me. I know it must have been difficult." His voice sounded more pained than hers. Like he had experienced every sentence like he was living it. "I'm not hurt... I'm proud of you."

Any attempt to return the favour and tell Silvia about his own life was instantly snuffed out. The last thing she needed right now was more pain. He'd tell her soon, but right now she needed Clark Kent not Superman.


	27. Twenty-Seven

**_Chapter Twenty-Seven: Mask_**

Silvia winced as she sipped her coffee - it was tepid, overly bitter and lacking real cream. It was a source of caffeine though and so she drank like a sailor new to whiskey. She hated coffee but she had been out all night searching for a runaway; a fifteen year-old daughter experiencing the more rebellious years of her life.

It was daylight by the time Silvia convinced the girl to return to her family, and now she was waiting for Clark at the cafe they use to meet at for interviews. Speaking of which, she still hadn't seen that article be released... but she tried to convince herself that it was just delayed.

The customers around her spoke about the days events, some in hushed tones and others obnoxiously loud. Silvia heard it all. One couple was discussing the working week, whilst another was whispering things to each other that Silvia wished she hadn't heard.

It had been a few days since she revealed the truth to Clark and he still hadn't left her. Silvia feared that it was about to happen as Clark had asked her to meet him here. He said that he had something he needed to tell her.

Silvia took another gulp of her regretfully weak coffee and felt the urge to gag at the taste. She saw Clark enter and held the sound in her throat, never to find air. He looked just as nervous as she did... maybe even more so.

"Sorry, Sil." Clark said, rushing over to her table and taking a seat on the opposite side. "Were you waiting long?"

"Long enough to regret ordering this coffee." Silvia laughed. "Which honestly isn't very long at all."

Clark's lips formed a small smile but his body remained in a stressed state; his shoulders were lifted so high that she could see the muscle through his jacket.

Silvia's expression fell and she placed her mug on the table with a quiet 'clink'. "Are you alright, Dorothy?"

"Y-Yeah..." Clark tried to reassure her but it was extremely unconvincing. His fingers were twitching against the cloth draping over the mahogany wood. "Just fine."

"Clark..." It was the first time she had used his name outright in a awhile, but she needed to relay her concerns. "I don't believe you."

Clark gave a shaky sigh. "There's no fooling you, is there?"

"Not when it involves you." Silvia reached across the table and held his hands securely in hers. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"Sil... I..." Clark started but was quickly cut off by the sound of something exploding.

Flames erupted outside the window, smashing the glass they were sitting near. Clark quickly shielded Silvia from the shrapnel, then just as the roof was collapsing, he caught it with his bare hands. As he held the large slab of concrete above his head the customers fled... but Silvia was stuck staring at him. She was on her back like some helpless civilian, mind hardly processing what she was seeing.

Clark wasn't even breaking a sweat. It was like this was easy for him; as simple as picking up a feather from the ground. With all of his strength and speed he could have very well did this without her seeing, but either way she was going to find out... It would be suspicious if she was suddenly out of harms way and he was missing. Though he regretted greatly that he hadn't been given the chance to tell her himself she deserved to know. She needed to see this.

Silvia's eyes were wide and never seemed to relax. She refused to accept what she was witnessing. Clark was holding a roof up like it was nothing, his muscles barely stirring in his coat... and his glasses had been flung off at the impact. Not long ago she was looking at the dorky reporter with all outstanding features being mask by his choice of wardrobe, and now her gaze was fixed on the bluest pair of eyes on Earth.

They were piercing, almost glowing, and unmistakable in their prominence. Silvia felt her heart sink then rise again to boil her blood. He was Superman.

Clark peered around to make sure the civilians were out of danger and that no one else was watching. He threw the roof effortlessly and it went spiralling into the distance. He stepped back and gave Silvia a regretful look.

"I'm sorry..." He said sincerely, pulling the buttons of his shirt and jacket apart to reveal his costume. "I've got to handle this... but I'll be right back."

In the blink of an eye he was gone and Silvia was left there, eyes fixed on the spot he use to be standing and mouth agape. Her heart felt like it might explode in her chest, her skin became clammy and her lungs were hyperventilating as she leaned against a crumpled wall. Her eyes finally flickered down to see Clark's glasses laying amongst the rubble. She leaned down and picked them up.

Silvia brought the lenses to her eyes and found that they were so thick that even her enhanced vision had difficulty seeing through them. She looked into a shard of glass that was pointing up from the ground and saw that her eyes had lost all colour to them. They were almost pure white with those things on. Now she knew how he tricked so many people with a simple pair of glasses... They washed out the glow in his eyes; the most noticeable thing about Superman.

Silvia took off the spectacles and balanced them in her right hand. Her eyes narrowed and she clasped her fingers shut around it, breaking the glasses into multiple pieces.

In the distance she could hear the sound of running, and of Superman trying to convince them to stand down. The enemy gave a high pitched, maniacal laugh but when it fell silent she figured Superman had picked him up and taken him to jail regardless.

Her heartbreak was grief that came in waves, gruelling, stealing appetite and paralysing her on the spot. It was a knife in her guts that never left. In those quiet moments it choked the breath from her body and short circuited her mind. What was once whole felt shattered.

Silvia slowly walked to the front counter, mind going through emotions faster than a kid flicking radio channels. She reached her hand down behind the front desk until her hand brushed against something familiar. She brought it up into plain sight to show a shotgun; most stores had one nowadays encase of emergency.

"Sil?" She heard from behind her and she swiftly turned, gun clasped in her hands. Superman's eyes lingered on the weapon with a heavy sigh. "You can't hurt me. You know that."

Brick by brick, her walls came tumbling down. The ones that kept her alive and strong. Her hands held the gun tighter and her face scrunched up. She looked hurt, betrayed even. She knew she couldn't hurt him, but that only encouraged her to pull the trigger - which she did.

A loud bang echoed through the air, bullets shooting towards Superman and bouncing right off of him. She shot again... and again until the gun gave an empty click. She growled and tossed the weapon at him. It hit him square in the chest and broke in half.

Silvia reached beneath the waist of her pants and pulled out the pistol that was strapped to her thigh. Her eyes never left him but they were glossy and on the verge of tears. She bit back any urges she had to cry, no matter how difficult it was... She refused to do that in front of him ever again.

"Sil, just let me explain..." Clark said in a tone sadder than she'd ever heard him bare.

"I trusted you!" Was Silvia's only reply before shooting off another round at him. "I told you things I've never told anyone!"

Over the loud banging and crunching of each bullet against his skin Clark tried to speak. "I know... and I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" Silvia was caught between rage and sorrow, unsure which to focus on. "You knew who I was the entire time! And those stupid interviews were just a device to get close to me, weren't they?!"

There was no answer this time. He simply hung his head guiltily. He hadn't expected it to go this far... Least of all to start caring about her the way he did now. Clark had just wanted to change her perspective of people, to stop her killings.

Silvia squeezed the trigger again and there was a barren click. With a groan of frustration she tossed that too at the man but it had the same effect as everything else... absolutely nothing. Her hands clenched into fists at her side, and with one more pained glance at the man, Silvia turned on her heel and headed out of the rubble.

"Sil, wait!" Superman yelled from behind her. "We need to talk about this!"

"I don't need to do anything." Silvia hissed, continuing to walk away from him. "Just leave me alone."

The wind that day took a drastic turn. Once it had a warmth to it, but now as Silvia walked back home broken-hearted she could feel it chill against her.

Superman could have stopped her from leaving if he chose to, Silvia knew that, but he was not the kind of man to force anyone against their will. So he had just watched her leave with a look of utter devastation. She didn't care. Why should she? He lied to her, practically used her own weaknesses against her, and now she was meant to feel some kind of sympathy for him? It wasn't going to happen.

Still, when she was out of view and alone inside her small apartment, Silvia felt tears spill from her eyes. The first person she had allowed herself to care about in years... and he only got close to her because he wanted to change her. He hadn't admitted it, not outright... but he didn't need to. There was no other reason for him to suddenly take interest in her.

Silvia's back bumped against the wall of her apartment. The feeling sent a shiver up her spine. Everything reverted back to the way it was before she met Clark; the atmosphere of her apartment, and her distrust of superheroes. These were blessings compared to the aspects that became worse.

Silvia sniffled, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and hugging her legs up against her chest. She wished she had never met him... not Clark or Superman. She would have been lonely but at least she wouldn't have been hurting.


	28. Twenty-Eight

**_Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Relapse_**

From the ceiling of the department store Silvia had her target in sight. He wore a large brown trench coat and his hair stuck up on end like some nutty professor. He passed the pillar just below her, and without a moments hesitation, Silvia jumped down onto him.

The man fell with a gasp, head cracking against the solid cement. Blood spat from his mouth and his brown eyes flicked up to her, appearing even darker in the falling night. His whole face pales at the sight of her.

"N-No... That's impossible!" He cried, desperately trying to claw his way from under her but to no prevail. "Th-The Reaper killings have stopped!"

"Have they?" Silvia said in a low, threatening tone. It rumbled in her throat like thunder before lightning strikes.

The man's hand reached into the garden beside him, stretching so far that his arm felt like it might pop out of its socket. Finally his fingers dug into the soil, and with one quick twist, he threw a decent sized rock against the vigilantes head.

He coughed at the straying grains of dirt that had been pulled out with the rock, and just as the soil began to clear, he saw Reaper still glaring down at him unfazed.

"Are you trying to piss me off?" She growled, grabbing his throat beneath her palm and slamming him into the ground once more. "Because I wouldn't suggest it."

"I-I'm sorry! If I knew you were still around I n-never would have-"

"Shut it." The woman spat, pushing his face firmer against the pathway until she knew it was cutting into his skin. "Or I'll crush your skull."

The man instantly froze, lips tightening so that not even the faintest of squeaks could escape. Silvia grabbed a fistful of his hair and violently yanked him up. The man gave a muffled cry but didn't let it find air.

Silvia had tried to resort back to her killing ways but it was much harder than she thought to shake the newly found conscience she had developed. That didn't mean that she couldn't beat them within an inch of their lives though.

"The slightest bit of resistance, and I'll tear the hair from your scalp." Silvia growled lowly.

"I-I won't! I swear!" The man followed her willingly, trembling in his boots and trying extra hard to not miss a step. He knew what the result would be if he did.

They came to a large building, one riddled in graphic graffiti but the symbol was unmistakable.

"W-Wait, you're not gonna k-kill me?" He stuttered in astonishment. "You'll just arrest me?"

"You're not worth killing." Silvia hissed, tugging him along with painful yanks. "But if you keep talking I might change my mind."

The man quickly shut his mouth again just as he was thrown into the police office and right at their feet. Silvia held up a wanted sign, the reward for any information to his whereabouts scribbled down the bottom. "This your man?"

The officers blinked at the masked woman, then back down at the criminal laid before them. One of them, a man with red hair tucked neatly into his cap, stepped forward to apprehend the thug but tried to avoid looking at Reaper altogether.

"Since when do you assist in arresting people?" A woman said from the middle of the crowd. She had light brown hair tied back into a tight ponytail and large hazel eyes. "Don't you usually resort to a bloodier method?"

"She's a fake." Another said from their desk. "Has to be."

"Aww, come on now. I've been helping out a lot of late." She said tauntingly. "And besides, who could ever imitate this face?" She pointed to the deranged skull drawing on her mask.

The man frowned. "Maybe we should lock her up too. She's just as much of a criminal as the one she brought us, maybe even more so."

"Now, that's no way to treat a new ally."

"Ally?" He scoffed. "When have you ever 'allied' with anyone?"

"You'd be surprised." Silvia's eyes narrowed. At the back of the room she could see two of her inside contacts. One of them shook their head at her in disappointment.

"As entertaining as this was, I'd advise against arresting her if I were you." A familiar voice said, and from out of the back Nightwing stepped into view. "She did just do your jobs for you."

Muttering suddenly lingered through the room, each person unsure of what to do in such a situation. They made no move to arrest her though.

Nightwing smirked and sauntered towards her, arms crossing over his chest. "Never thought I'd see you anywhere near a police station."

"Yeah, well money's money no matter who's paying." Silvia huffed. "Though it doesn't look like they're going to be giving me that reward... I'll just take it when they're not looking."

"That's the spirit." Nightwing chuckled. "Just try to do it when I'm not here otherwise I'll have to try and stop you. It's part of the job description."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The officers had all but filed back into their departments, their break apparently having ended the moment Reaper entered the building. She reached down to the desk next to her and swiped a glazed donut, completely untouched. She gave a knowing look to Nightwing who obviously found the irony in it as well.

"Most stereotypes are based off of fragments of truth, you shouldn't be too surprised." He said with a playful smile. "Speaking of which, did you hear that Bruce Wayne is hosting another party?"

Reaper's mask wrinkled slightly at the name. "Who the hell is Bruce Wayne?"

Nightwing's grin widened even further if that was at all possible. "And I thought I liked you before."

"Does not knowing this person count as a good thing where you're from?"

"Nah, but it does to me." He laughed. "Well, as it turns out, I don't have a date. Wanna be my plus one?"

The girl scoffed. "Can't you find someone a little less... me-ish?"

"Oh I definitely could but that won't piss off Bruce the way you will."

Her head cocked to the side in confusion and Nightwing drew closer, stopping at her covered ear and whispering. His grin brightened and Silvia's lips mimicked his. "I'm so in."

Though he couldn't see that she was smiling, her tone lacked her usual sarcasm. Nightwing assumed that she was being serious. "Sweet." He walked passed her, getting to the exit and shrugging. "I'll see you around then."

Reaper gave him a nod as he left. Seconds later the reward money placed aside for a criminals capture was broken into... and she was nowhere to be found.

The streets were deserted as Reaper clung to the shadows. Nothing seemed unusual about the sheer lack of people; it was nighttime. It was unlikely that many people would feel comfortable wandering the city at that late hour.

The familiar feeling of her phone buzzing in her pocket caught the girl's attention, and when she pulled it out, a message appeared on the screen. It was from Clark. She rolled her eyes and tucked it back away, not even bothering to read it. He'd tried texting her multiple times over the passed few days but Silvia hadn't so much as glanced at them.

On her way back home Silvia stopped into a public bathroom to change her clothes, then visited a nearby movie theatre. As soon as she entered the girl at the counter got out a large, rolled up poster and handed it to her. She was compensated, of course, which was half the reason Silvia needed the reward money.

The poster was quickly unravelled the moment she returned to her apartment, her bag and keys being thrown on the kitchen counter as if they were mere garbage compared to the item in her hands.

"Hey, Sil..." A voice called from behind her and in an instant she jumped into a defensive stance.

Her eyes widened at the man standing in the middle of her living room before her jaw clenched in irritation. "What the fuck do you want?"

"I just want to talk." Clark replied in a gentle voice.

Silvia scoffed. "Well, I'm kinda busy at the moment." She turned her back to the man, looking over her poster for any crinkles the sudden fright had caused.

Clark's lips formed a thin line. The poster was of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger with a gun in either hand. He rolled his eyes. By this stage he was well-aware of Silvia's love for old action movies, but he never thought she'd be one to collect things from them.

"Look, I know you probably don't want to talk to me right now but-"

"Probably?" Silvia interrupted, throwing the poster onto the couch and turning to glare at him. "That's a bit of an understatement, don't you think?"

"Sil, please..." Clark's eyes pleaded at her beneath his new pair of glasses. They didn't work as well as the old ones but they still dimmed the colour enough to pass as a normal person. "You can't avoid me forever."

"I can try." Silvia hissed.

"I understand, you feel betrayed." Clark tried to take a step toward her but the blonde took two steps away. Clark sighed. "But should your opinion of me change just because I'm Superman?"

Silvia's arms crossed over her chest and her gaze narrowed further. "It's not because you're Superman. It's because you lied to me." With one swift movement she took the glasses from Clark and examined them. "Why are you wearing these stupid things again anyway?"

"I... thought you'd be more comfortable if I looked like the Clark you were more accustomed to."

The girl tossed the glasses back at him and he caught them effortlessly. "It doesn't make any difference to me."

Clark nodded and placed the spectacles back into his pocket, blue eyes shining in the dark room. "I want to fix this... You've just got to tell me how."

"There is no fixing this Clark. You were only ever interested in meeting me because you thought you could change me... You didn't even bother trying to understand my point of view, but you expected me to understand yours." Silvia leaned against the armrest of her couch, gaze falling away from the tall man. "And when you asked me out, you can't tell me with one hundred percent honesty that your intentions were pure. You saw that I was starting to hesitate. You knew getting closer to me would likely change my entire mindset."

Clark shook his head, expression twisting into sorrow. "Sil... I... It may have been like that at first but when I asked you out I promise it was because I wanted to."

Silvia's eyes flicked over to meet his. "So the thought didn't cross your mind. Not even a little?"

Clark opened his mouth to speak but it fell closed again, his chest rising and falling heavily. He broke eye contact with her, guilt tearing at him the longer he looked at her.

"Exactly." Silvia said lowly to the silence that followed. "Whether you meant to or not, you used my emotions against me. That's... not something I'm sure I can forgive, and even if I could, I don't trust you anymore."

Clark's breathing could be heard somewhere in front of her, steady yet heavier than usual. It was the only indication she had that he was hurting... because she refused to look up at him again in fear that she'd break.

"You may not trust me." He began, his hand appearing in her line of sight. His curled up fist hovered to her hand and dropped something inside. A necklace with a large crystal in the centre. "But you still haven't let me down. Not yet."

Silvia's chest ached but brushed it off, outstretching the necklace back in his direction. "Not much of a jewellery person, thanks."

"This is more important than it looks. I'm entrusting it to you." Clark sauntered back so that he was out of reach, Silvia being forced to accept the jewel.

"Why me?... Clark, we're not exactly on the best of terms."

"Maybe not, but no matter what's happening between us I want you to know that I trust you... More than anyone else." Clark gave her a weak smile, one that she refused to look at. "I failed you and I'm sorry... But I'm trying to make up for it."

His words reached Silvia but she wasn't entirely sure how to take them. She gripped the crystal between her index finger and thumb, bringing the necklace into better lighting. It glittered in the moonlight like a thousand tiny stars, all different colours and reflecting the light like a rainbow. The longer she stared the more the glittering inside the jewel started to take form.

"Clark... What is this thing?" She asked in an unsure tone but there was no answer.

When she was finally able to pry her eyes away from the necklace she found that her apartment was empty once more. Half of Silvia wanted to throw the damned piece of jewellery out the window, but the other half forced her to secure it around her neck.

Though she liked to believe that Clark's faith had been well-placed, she was almost certain that he had made a mistake. Silvia could feel herself regressing back to how she was and that person was not someone worth trusting.


	29. Twenty-Nine

**_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Night Life_**

The necklace was still hanging from Silvia's neck a few days later when Starfire decided to pay her a visit. The fiery-haired woman had flown straight through her window completely unannounced and scared Silvia half to death.

The blonde was backed up against the kitchen counter, chest heaving and eyes wide. Her mind took a little longer than usual registering that there was no danger around, and this was made even clearer when Starfire gave a goofy wave.

"Kori, you really need to stop coming around here." Silvia sighed, taking a few deep breaths to calm her pounding heart.

"Oh, yes. Cyborg says the same thing." She replied happily, though there was something beneath that tone that Silvia couldn't recognise. "But this time Dick sent me."

Silvia bit her lip to stifle a chuckle. She still couldn't believe that he willingly went by that name. "D-Did he now?" She replied, voice shaking with the tremors of laughter.

"He informed me that he was taking you to Bruce's party." She said, voice a little less enthusiastic than it had been a second ago. "It's on tonight at six. He forgot to mention it before."

"Of course he did." Silvia sighed, pushing away from the counter and beginning to rummage through the pantry. "Did he tell you where I'm meant to be meeting him?"

"Umm..." Kori hummed, scratching the side of her head with a clueless laugh.

The blonde shook her head. "Don't worry. Just tell him I'll find my own way there."

Starfire nodded but made no effort to leave. With every passing second the cold air from outside blew into the apartment, soaked in by the thin walls and evaporating any heat Silvia had been attempting to keep inside.

"Do you know where it is?" The alien asked. "I am told that it is quite easy to find but I always seem to have trouble."

"If I follow the path of wealth and overcompensation then I'm sure I won't have any trouble." She pulled out a packet of chicken and corn noodles and started heating up the water in the kettle. She had been living off of that stuff for years, so much so that it was starting to have no flavour at all for her. Silvia turned to finally face Kori as she waited, seeing a troubled look on the girl's face. She gave a large exhale. "Hey... uh... about Richard and I... I just wanted you to know that it's nothing to be concerned about."

Kori blinked up at her, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh! That does not bother me." She said honestly. "We may have been together in the past but that never affects our future relations. It is something we agreed on many years ago."

Silvia looked a little taken back by her understanding, especially considering how clueless Starfire was at the best of times, but she managed to find her voice again quickly after. "Why do you look so disheartened if that's not what's getting to you?"

Kori's shoulders slumped. "I have heard many exciting things about these parties but I am forbidden from attending."

"Oh..." Silvia's tone trailed off. "Yeah, I suppose you'd arouse too much suspicion."

"That is what Dick always tells me." Starfire's bright red hair dimmed at the thought.

"I'm... sure it's not as fun as you think it is." Steam began circling from the kettle and she swiftly turned to pour it into the noodle cup. "If I could trade places with you I would. I'm not really into these fancy gatherings. You'd probably fit in better than I would."

A smile graced Starfire's full lips, brightening the princesses expression to one fitting of her title. "That is very kind of you to say."

"What?" Silvia gulped. "No it's not... I mean..."

The more Silvia stammered for an excuse the wider Kori's grin became. Eventually the blonde resorted to grumbling under her breath about turning into a wimp.

Kori sauntered toward her, green eyes glowing like they were radioactive. In one swoop the girl happily took the noodles Silvia had been grasping and slurped them up with her fingers. "Do not worry, friend." She said with her mouth full. "You will have a great time with Dick."

Silvia would have laughed at Starfire's choice of words... if she wasn't too busy glaring at the food she had taken. That was her last packet...

Just as the cold was beginning to tinge Silvia's skin to a very faint blue, Kori tossed the empty cup into the bin and jumped into the air. As she floated there Silvia couldn't help but think what a horrid power flying must be.

Ever since her first trip by plane she couldn't imagine how anyone would want to be off the ground for longer than a second or two. People weren't meant to hover above the earth... it went against everything nature and instinct had embedded in them.

Kori gave a brief wave, travelling back out of the window with a reassuring look. "I hope to hear all about it later!" She called, tone returning to its usual upbeat sound.

"I doubt there'll be much to tell." The other sighed, bringing her hand up to return the gesture defeatedly. "But I guess I owe you that much."

Once she was gone Silvia closed the window behind her, shivering at the cool air that had already managed to creep in. She could swear that those aliens didn't feel the weather at all.

Upon a second search through her cabinets and refrigerator Silvia found that she was all out of food... yet again. Her stomach rumbled and she growled back at it like it would help stop the piercing pain. There was at least one positive thing about the party that night... There was definitely going to be free food. Either that or Silvia was going to be forced to raid the billionaire's kitchen.

Night fell slower than she would have liked. By the time Silvia had found a dress that still fit her and attempted to do something with her easily matted hair she was about ready to pass out due to the hunger. Well, that's what it felt like to her anyway, exaggeration or not.

The next step was figuring out how to get to Gotham without sitting on a train next to complete strangers. Silvia's gaze flickered outside to her neighbours motorcycle perched carefully in the driveway. It was stolen, even from a distance she could tell that, and so she felt no guilt in the idea of taking it with her.

Starting it without the right keys was the hard part but Silvia wasn't new to 'borrowing' vehicles for long journeys and motorcycles were her favourite. The thief had rushed out of his apartment the moment he heard the engine start but he was too late to stop her from taking it. All he could do was yell at her from a distance, fists whacking into the air in a panic.

The mansion loomed proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees crowned in crimson, swaying gently to the chilly wind. At its threshold stood the delicate marble fountain, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonated in the surrounding silence.

Groups of people crowded around the front door all draped in their best clothing. The guards surrounding the mansion all stared at her as she entered suspiciously. Every other vehicle in the facility was either a limo or an outrageously expensive Mercedes. Silvia still somehow managed to find somewhere to park, and after pulling her leg over the bike without ripping her dress, she took a glance in a car window to fix her hair.

"Wow, I wasn't sure that you'd actually show up." Richard's voice appeared from behind her. She turned, shifting awkwardly in the uncomfortable outfit. He grinned. "You look great."

"You're not so bad yourself." Silvia forced a smile onto her face but her voice shook nervously. She was obviously out of her element. Richard, on the other hand, flourished in such an atmosphere. It looked like he was raised around it.

Richard offered her his arm and she eagerly took it, hoping to fit in a little more if she was closer to him. Apparently this worked fairly well because they let her in without question. Silvia was sure they'd kick her out the moment they realised her dress cost less than one hundred bucks.

That wasn't the most unexpected thing to happen that night though. Seeing two people amongst the stream of reporters. Clark and Lois were making the rounds interviewing the guests. Clark's gaze lined up with Silvia's and his eyes widened beneath his glasses. The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile, one of such awe that Silvia had to look away.

The classical music was as loud as thunder; it made the cutlery on the tabletops rattle. Silvia could still feel Clark's eyes on her but it only encouraged her to steer Richard in the opposite direction. This lead them directly to a tall man in likely the most expensive suit in the entire building... which was saying a lot.

"Bruce." Richard called and the man turned around, revealing his dark blue eyes and strong jaw. Silvia recognised him instantly but he carried himself much differently outside of the bat costume.

Usually he was dark and brooding, trying way too hard to appear intimidating. Without the mask though he was a lot more laid-back... and fake. She could see right through the false pleasantries he gave those around him and straight into his soul. It was as dark as any super villain.

Bruce held his hand out for Silvia to shake, a confident smile stitched onto his face. She turned her nose up at the gesture but accepted it to stop any odd looks from those watching.

"Must say, I thought I already knew all of the beautiful women in Gotham." Bruce turned on his playboy charm but it rang deaf in Silvia's ears. It was all a facade. Even his eyes were dull when he spoke.

"Well, I'm not from Gotham. That's probably why." Silvia snapped, pulling her hand back away from his grasp. "And you can drop the act. It's not working."

Bruce's brow darkened but there was a curiosity in his eyes. He apparently wasn't use to being turned down. For a moment it seemed like he couldn't figure out who she was but once he'd assessed her height, weight and tone of voice it quickly dawned on him.

"What's she doing here?" He growled at Richard who didn't appear the least bit bothered by his anger.

"I invited her, obviously."

"And you told her who I was?!" Bruce's voice was stern and full of fury despite how low the volume was.

"Of course not. I think she figured that out for herself." Richard shrugged, his suit shifting around his shoulders. "All I told her was that there'd be expensive gift bags."

Silvia smirked and held up two designer handbags full to the brim with items she'd never buy on her own. "Thanks for these by the way, I'm sure they'll sell for much more than you brought them for."

Bruce looked like he wanted to throw the girl out himself but with such a crowded house he decided against it. He had to at least look like a pleasant human being if he wanted to seal the new deal at Wayne Enterprises.

Richard couldn't have been more amused by the conflict evidentially going on inside Bruce's head. With a smirk, he took both handbags from Silvia's arm. "I'll take these to your ride." He suppressed a laugh at the glare Bruce shot in his direction and swiftly disappeared into the crowd.

Silvia may have dreaded the oncoming silence if it had been given time to form. Before either of them could settle in the uncomfortable atmosphere Lois came rushing from the other side of the room with a notepad grasped firmly in her hand. Behind her Clark reluctantly followed.

"Mr. Wayne, might we have a moment?" Lois tried to sound polite but beneath she was itching to start asking questions. Clark, on the other hand, didn't appear even remotely interested. He kept looking at Bruce apologetically then at Silvia with an even guiltier expression.

The smile reawakened on Bruce's face but it was faker than it had been all night. "Of course, Miss Lane."

Silvia rolled her eyes and started walking back into the bunches of people that had attended. Clark's gaze followed her until she was out of sight but Silvia refused to look back at him at all.

The party itself was a complete bore, the only redeeming quality it had were the free drinks and food. Silvia was just on her fifth glass of wine (and searching for Richard) when she bumped into someone. He was 6'2 in height with absolutely no hair on his head.

The man wasted no time in grabbing Silvia's hand and giving it a firm shake, eyes locked on the jewel hanging around her neck. "What an interesting necklace, Miss...?"

"None of your damn business." She grumbled, snatching her hand away.

"Not very social, are you?" He said with a scheming smile that could somehow out charm Bruce's. "Well I'll make this quick then."

"Please do."

The man reached into his pocket and brought out a small metal device. Lights gleaned at the end of it like lasers and cogs moved visibly through the transparent top. "This is a new concept from an undisclosed inventor. LexCorp has agreed to back the funding."

Silvia tapped her foot against the marble floor impatiently. "And I'm suppose to care because..."

"I need to assess its worth but until now I haven't found a gem obscure enough." He directed towards the jewel around her neck. "If you could just let me borrow that for a split second I'll have my answer."

"Mr Luthor, is it?" Silvia recognised him from the papers. It was hard to mistake him for anyone else. "Why exactly would I help you?"

Lex smirked. "Because I can tell that you find no enjoyment in social interactions, and unless you agree to this, I will be forced to bother you for the rest of the night."

Silvia grimaced. Surely there was no harm in letting him look at it... "You can't keep it though."

"I assure you I only want to take a look. Besides, I wouldn't get halfway across the room without being tackled by security guards if I chose to run."

Well, he had a point. Regardless the blonde felt her whole body hesitate. Her fingers grazed across the glittering jewel, twitching against it in a final attempt to convince herself to walk away. Silvia's jaw clenched. What could he possibly do with a small metal contraption anyway? Nothing worth beating herself up over.

The girl yanked the necklace over her head so quickly that it were as if she was afraid she'd change her mind. She held it out to Lex and his eyes gleamed at the sight.

"Very kind of you." Lex's voice held a sting of mischief as he carefully took the necklace into his own hand. "This won't take long."

The device in his opposite palm was placed right beside the necklace. The lights brightened and scanned the gem thoroughly. A flicker of a grin slid onto his face but before Silvia could question why he looked so pleased with himself he handed the necklace back over to her.

"Thank you." He said, tucking the device into his suit pocket. "You've been most helpful."

Silvia's eyebrow cocked up at the man but having the jewel back erased most of her suspicion. "Yeah. Whatever."

From behind she could hear someone approaching. The undeniable, graceful steps of someone that was trained to be light on their feet. Instantly she knew it was Richard and this small distraction seemed like enough time for Lex to vanish into the chaos.

An uneasy feeling weighed on Silvia's chest but she discarded of it. She simply couldn't see the harm in what she had done... or the repercussions.


	30. Thirty

**_Chapter Thirty: Heavy Metal_**

"This just in; there's been an attack on downtown Metropolis." The news anchor's voice echoed through the empty apartment. "Superman was quick on the scene but so far there has been no development. We advise everyone to stay away from these areas of the city."

A diagram appeared on the screen just as Silvia popped her head around the corner. The danger areas were highlighted in red and the safe zones in green. For once Southside was completely out of harms way.

It was odd that Superman hadn't settled the matter though. Usually these attacks were a fairly easy task for him. Silvia shook her head. She wasn't going to sit there and worry about him.

"There hasn't been much information about the assailant. Only that he extends beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements."

Silvia leaned over her bed and grabbed hold of one of the handbags she received at the party. She poured its contents out onto her mattress and tried to distract herself by sifting through it.

"So far there have been around five deaths and over twenty severe injuries."

A Rolex watch sat glistening against the tattered blankets. Something so expensive looked incredibly out of place in her house; especially when it laid amongst gift certificates worth thousands and the newest phone on the market.

"The names of the confirmed deaths are 21 year-old Kaycee Adams, 42 year-old Lyn Alys, 30 year-old Gilbert Knight-"

Silvia took one of the gift cards between her index finger and thumb, turning it in her hand and blinking wide-eyed at the number sketched onto it. Two thousand dollars. She could get so many Rambo figures with that... If it weren't for a high-end clothing store.

"70 year-old Blake Keller, and his 5 year-old grandson Marty Keller."

Silvia dove into the bottom of the bag and brought out a small box - inside was a diamond bracelet with sapphires embedded in so many places that the silver was barely visible.

"After Superman arrived on the scene he managed to stop any further injuries, but the fight has yet to finish."

She could definitely sell this and get her own motorcycle with the money. She may even be able to move out of Southside... though she doubted that there was anywhere else she could belong.

"More on this story as soon as we receive an update. Until then stay within the safe zones of Metropolis."

The television darkened and the image switched to an advertisement for a new burger at McDonalds. Finally Silvia's gaze flicked up and the things in her hands fell back against the mattress. The distractions in front of her couldn't occupy her mind for long, especially not when Clark may be struggling.

Any anger she felt towards the man was irrelevant. The fact that he hadn't resolved this yet made certain that something was wrong... but what could she possibly do to help? She didn't have powers like him. If he couldn't finish it then how could she?

The Nokia sitting on her bedside table was quickly snatched up. The small buttons made it difficult to scroll through her old messages but she somehow managed it. She was given a tip over a fortnight ago about a group of criminals stealing new weapons... If she was going to do this she needed all the help she could get.

The night sky stood an inky canopy of darkness freckled only by the fewest of stars, where just hours ago it had been a blue summer's day. The occasional hoot of a hidden owl was the only sound to permeate the silence until the slapping of Silvia's footsteps and crunching gravel echoed angrily into the emptiness of the night.

The hideout was relatively easy to find. It was surprising that they had lasted so long without getting caught. The thugs guarding it left even less to be desired. It took about a minute to make it through their defences, maybe not even that. The path soon lead her to a jackpot of stolen weapons.

It was impossible to carry all of them so she dug through to find the most effective ones. The first one she grabbed spat fire from its muzzle, it reached so long that a nearby tree was engulfed in flames. Silvia shivered and put it back. No. Fire was too unpredictable in a public place.

The next thing she picked up had a nob on the end that determined it's power. One squeeze of the trigger and a beam shot out of it, tearing a hole in the burning wood. Silvia blinked. Yep, that'll do.

She grabbed a few different kinds from the same pile, hoping they did the same thing. Once her body was strapped full of guns she saw the glimmer of fabric peaking beneath a Automatic Pistol. Curiously, she grabbed hold of it and pulled it into the moonlight. It was pure white and illuminated in a way that would catch anyone's eye.

Hanging from the sleeve was a booklet starched by a long string. Silvia took hold of it and squinted. No, not a booklet... an instruction manual? Silvia huffed. She didn't have time to read it, she'd already wasted enough time as it was.

An inner debate blew up in her head - should she wear it or not? Her old costume was more suited to her. It was pitch black and ensured that she could stay hidden whenever she chose to. There was no way she could stick to the shadows in this new, shockingly white fabric. It was steadier than her own though. The one thing she did manage to catch on the instruction manual was 'energy absorbing.' It would likely protect her better than her old costume ever could.

The conflict spiralled her into further panic, and that is ultimately what forced her to change into the costume she found. It was tighter than her other one but much harder as well. The moment it made contact with her skin it contracted like tiny rocks all over her. It was like having a second layer of muscle on the outside, and the mask was like an additional skull.

Silvia didn't have time to see how it worked. She simply re-strapped the new weapons around her and ran off - leaving her old costume behind.

The sounds of fighting grew louder as she entered the red zones and the buildings around her slowly became less stable. Some were nothing more than rubble now, others looked like someone had thrown solid steel into them. Silvia shouldn't have been surprised... There was always something destroying the city no matter how many times they stopped it.

A loud grunt pierced the air just as she rounded the corner. Superman was slammed into a brick wall, body slumping against it and suit ripped across his chest. His head rolled on his shoulders, eyes struggling to stay open and blood trickling from his mouth.

Silvia's limbs froze. Blood?... She didn't even know that Superman could bleed. The thing that had thrown him was a giant machine glowing green. The thing stepped towards the injured hero, metal scraping against metal with each movement.

"How does that feel? Huh?! Tell me!!" The metal creature roared.

One of its gigantic metal hands rammed itself into Superman's gut, embedding him further into the brick wall. The Man of Steel's face was strained with pain as his foe wrapped its cold talons around his waist. "Fight back you wimp!! C'mon!!"

Its other hand impacted once on Superman's face, reeled backwards then came screaming at it once more. With a sudden crack of thunder, the metal fist was halted in its path by Superman's own. Gritting his teeth, the hero growled "Fine."

It happened so fast that Silvia almost missed it entirely... Superman speared the beast and they came soaring down the street towards her. Superman thrust his foe into the concrete and slowly came to a halt as its massive metal body grounded a trail through the street. As he screamed in exertion, Superman clenched the robot by the neck, leapt ten metres above the ground and reeled a clenched fist.

The ensuring impact shattered almost every window on the street, and sent the creature hurtling through a building, then another, and another. Exhausted and still poisoned, Superman fell from the air and landed on the pavement with a startling 'crack'.

"Holy fuck...!" Silvia gasped as she came sprinting towards Clark. He was struggling to stay conscious...he was barely even aware of Silvia's presence.

"No...no...! You can't...I can't let you get hurt...!" He wheezed, probably half delirious.

"How do I beat him?"

"Sil. I can...hear his systems rebooting..."

"I'm not leaving you. I can't...I won't." Silvia snapped, squeezing Clark's hand, splattered with drops of his own blood.

His eyes were still the brightest blue that Silvia had ever seen in her life, even now. The sound of grinding metal brought her attention back up. Clark's hand shook against hers with the last of his strength as if he was begging her to stand down.

Silvia flashed him a sorrowful look and wriggled out of his weak grasp. In an instant she grabbed onto the pistol on her leg and aimed it in the direction the noise was coming from. The ground rumbled beneath her but still Silvia refused to move. She was the only thing blocking Clark from harm.

"The whimp brought a weakling to defend him?" A low voice said. It was altered, almost as robotic as his body. "Pitiful."

"I'm stronger than I look!" Silvia hissed but she didn't even have the opportunity to shoot before being flung into a pole.

"Doubtful."

The pole had a large dent rounded where Silvia had been flung. All things considered a hit of that magnitude should have broken a few bones... but if it did she couldn't feel it. She heard Clark's voice, raspy and breathless calling her name in worry.

Silvia stumbled to her feet, hands gripping at her torso to make certain that she was still alive. The suit felt like titanium against her fingers and she gasped. "I'm... okay."

In one swift motion she re-aimed her pistol once more and shot a barrage of energy beams at the mechanical man. The first few bounced right off of him but once she increased the power it seemed to be enough to push him back.

The man growled low and it echoed through his metal chest. He veered away from Clark's injured body and marched in Silvia's direction. She shot again and the beam went right through the robots chest. Wires sparked and his systems grinded loudly, but the giant didn't stop sauntering towards her.

She shot again and every laser made him stumble back. None of it stopped him though and eventually the robot was right in front of her. It's cold hand reached out and gripped against Silvia's throat, tightening until her airway was completely sealed.

It felt like her lungs were slowly filling with water, as if there was just less space in them for the air. Inflating them felt like pushing up a lead weight on her chest. Her head was spinning and her vision was nothing but a blur. Just when she felt her consciousness slip away something rammed into the robot and set her free.

Every bone in her body rattled when she impacted with the ground. Silvia gasped in pain but somehow managed to crawl her way over to Clark's unmoving figure. In the distance she could hear the familiar cries of Wonder Woman as she defeated the already damaged robot.

"Clark?" Silvia said in a raspy, breathless voice but there was no response. She opened her mouth to try again but this time no words would form - her brain was still recovering from the lack of oxygen.

She refused to let go of her senses until she saw Wonder Woman help Superman up. At this point she knew he'd be alright but as consciousness left her once more, Silvia couldn't help but despise her weakness. If she had been more like Diana than she could have stopped the whole thing before Clark was put into even further danger...


	31. Thirty-One

**_Chapter Thirty-One: Love Through Strife_**

The world around her slowly spiralled back into view. The room was white with lights that glared blindingly down at her. Silvia's index finger twitched to life at her side, the sheets beneath it much softer than her own. This was the first sign that she wasn't home.

The second happened just moments later when she rolled groggily to her side. A window came into view, and on the other side was the empty vacuum of space.

Silvia's eyes widened and her lungs contracted beneath her ribs. Fear sat in her gut so heavily that she barely recognised her own scream.

"You're alright. Calm down. You've been unconscious for the last five hours." A low, droning and raspy voice said to her.

Silvia turned away from the window and saw Bruce Wayne, unmasked but clad in his bat suit as he tinkered with some pieces of medical equipement.

"W-We're...in space..."

Bruce ignored her and continued eyeing the console by his side. "Kryptonite adversely affects human physiology at a gradual rate...but it seems that your cells regenerate so quickly that you're clean..." He muttered.

Silvia's lip quivered as she whispered "Where's Clark...?"

"...He's busy." Bruce leant over to Silvia, holding a stethoscope. "Breathe."

Her breathing was so ragged and horrible that Bruce simply sighed in defeat, stood straight and crossed his arms. He then pressed a finger to his ear and spoke "She's awake. You can come in now."

Silvia was still petrified that she was in Earth's orbit. She could barely bring herself to say anything. "Is he alright...?"

"He'll be fine. He's been through worse." Bruce answered, a hint of calm in his cold voice. With that, he quickly strode to the door and left without a word.

Seconds later, a much more tolerable person took his place. "Silvia? How're you doing?" Nightwing eagerly asked, jogging into the room and peeling the black domino mask from his face. "I came as soon as I heard."

"W-We're in space... I-I...wanna go home. Can I see Clark?"

Dick laid a hand onto Silvia's shoulder as he propped himself onto the side of her bed. "Easy there. There's a runaway comet heading towards Earth that NASA phoned in about. You know Clark...he's as stubborn as anything when he knows he can help. He's out there pushing it off course right now."

"But...that...robot guy...he was hurting him..."

"Yeah, Metallo runs on kryptonite...it's like poison to him. He was a little more powerful this time though, apparently he had the DNA of Kryptonians embedded in him." Dick's gaze fell to the jewel around her neck. "Bruce told him to rest, but yeah. Like I said, you know Clark."

Silvia was even more worried now...that Clark was hurt... poisoned...and he still flew out into space like that. It made her feel sick, or maybe that was the knowledge that she was up too high. Either way her stomach churned and threatened to trigger her upchuck reflex.

The blonde turned an ill-coloured pale just as Bruce marched back in and snatched the necklace from her. "H-Hey!" Silvia managed to say through the nausea. "That's mine!"

"Not anymore." Bruce growled. "You can't be trusted with it."

"What do you mean?"

"Lex somehow got a sample of that crystal. It's the reason Metallo knew exactly how to defeat Clark." Dick answered for Bruce who sauntered back out of the room without another word. "We know you didn't give it to him directly but it's safer if we keep it here for the time being."

Guilt sat not on her chest but inside her brain. What she had done she could not un-do. She could make amends in subtle ways, but it could never erase such a dire mistake.

Silvia gulped. She couldn't bring herself to feel the true weight of her regret while she was up so high. "I-I want to go home..."

Nightwing looked at her oddly. He'd never seen anyone look so terrified. "Sure, we can get Wonder Woman to fly you back dow-"

"NO!" Silvia shivered, clutching the covers in her fists and bringing them up to her chin. "I d-don't want to fly..."

Richard was instantly put on edge by her panic. He held his hands out in front of him, gesturing for her to calm down but it didn't seem to be working. "Alright, it's okay." He spoke in a tone that made it obvious that he had no talent in comforting people. "I'll go see what we can do."

Silvia nodded, knees bent up to her chest insecurely. She felt like the ground beneath her was about to shatter, and she'd go spiralling down to earth in a fiery grave. Any logical thought about her dying before that happened didn't register.

Not long after Richard left she could hear him reapproaching the room. Well, him and somebody else. The others footsteps were heavy, like metal being forced to constantly realign itself. The door opened and a glowing red eye was the first thing she saw.

"I was hoping I could avoid you while you're here..." Cyborg groaned in frustration.

Silvia would usually come up with some smart-ass comment but she was too scared to think straight. Her only response was a shrug, her shoulders trembling along with it.

Cyborg's mouth tightened. With most of him being robotic it was hard to tell what he was feeling. "What's the matter with her?"

"She wants to go back down to Earth." Richard answered, sitting on the bed and rubbing the girl's back.

"Good riddance. Why do you need me?"

"I think she's scared of heights. I'm not sure if getting Diana to take her would be a good idea. So, I was wondering-"

"You were wondering if I could teleport her back." Cyborg's tone found an edge to it. "The answer's no. I could make a lot better use of my time than helping some murderer."

Richard sighed. "If you don't get her back then you'll be stuck with her. I'm warning you, she's a handful."

"I won't be anywhere near her. None of this concerns me."

"Oh, but it does." Richard's lips quirked into a smirk. "I may have told Bruce that you volunteered to watch her."

Cyborg's expression visibly fell even beneath the thick metal. "You're bluffing."

"I'm not." Richard pointed towards the earpiece he was still wearing. "Ask him yourself if you don't believe me."

Something sounded from the taller man. It could have been recognised as a growl but when it reached his chest it didn't rumble, it echoed hollowly. "Come on, man... You're evil."

Richard grinned. "Glad that you finally came around."

The half-man sighed and directed his gaze towards Silvia. "Hurry up then. I don't have all day."

The blonde could feel her legs quaking as she threw them over the bed. When they grazed against the floor she felt as if they may give out if she put any significant amount of weight on them. Silvia hesitated.

Cyborg turned impatiently. "Something wrong with your hearing? I said get a move on."

Silvia bit back the remark that threatened to escape and simply gazed over at him defeatedly. Richard awkwardly stepped over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist to help her up.

"Lean on me if you have to." He said.

Though this should have been comforting it was plain irritating to Silvia; not that he wanted to help, but that she couldn't even stand on her own. Fear was getting the best of her and she despised it.

Regardless, she accepted his offer and she was so weak that he might as well have been carrying her down the hall. Cyborg reered into a room on his right and Richard swiftly followed with Silvia.

"Put her on the marker." He said, casually bringing up a monitor in front of himself. It looked like a projection. There was no computer or wiring, only the screen.

Richard stood her over a clean, white 'x'. She managed to stay standing while he grabbed two jackets off the coat hanger in the corner and slipped it over their costumes.

"I'll go with you. Bruce won't be impressed if he spent all this time mending you just for you to run off and get hurt again." Richard chuckled.

"F-F-Fuck B-Bru-Br-..." Silvia tried to stutter out the insult but her teeth were chattering too much. She hissed in defeat and averted her gaze in humiliation.

"Yeah, I know." Richard smiled in semi-amusement. His grip on her waist tightened as bright lights started to appear all around them.

Cyborg's fingers tapped constantly on the screen until his image was replaced with a blur of colours; atoms moving matter. Soon the mark beneath their feet was replaced by another but this one was dim and practically scratched from the concrete.

When Silvia finally found the strength to look up they were in a dark alleyway facing a street crowded by anxious civilians. At first Silvia was more focused on the fact that she was on solid ground again... Well, solid ground that wasn't floating in space.

She gently shook Richard's hand off of her and stepped into the bustling crowd. Her steps were still shaky with the aftermath but at least she could walk on her own now.

"What's happening?" She mumbled, stopping when she got to the very back of the audience.

"They're waiting for Superman." Richard said, halting next to her.

Silvia looked over the crowd again and noticed that their eyes were all fixeated on the empty sky. NASA officials sat at the front, watching something on their laptop monitor. He was right.

"He always was a popular one." Silvia sighed.

"I don't know about that." Richard shrugged. "There are still many that fear and hate him for what he can do. It's just ironic that the minute he can save them they're suddenly begging him to help."

Silvia's brow furrowed. He wasn't wrong. There were protests every day against Superman. The thought saddened her but not as much as knowing he still hadn't returned from his mission. Richard noticed her mood shrink even further and grimaced. "He'll be fine, Sil."

The nickname only upset her more. Clark always called her that... What if she never hears him say it again?

Richard bit his lip. He was terrible at reassuring people. "Did you want to go back to your place and wait? It might be a little less stressful... and besides, I'm curious about what your bedroom looks like."

His teasing tone seemed to grab Silvia's attention and she scoffed. "Too bad you'll never see it."

"Are you sure?" Richard grinned. "Come on, I'm curious."

"Not gonna happen."

"At least tell me about it." Richard shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I'll even describe mine for you if you do."

"I don't want to know about yours. I could probably guess without you telling me."

"Silvia! How unlike you to beg so insistently. Well, since you're insisting..."

"I'm not insisting!"

"My room is big and dark and empty. There's a secret compartment for my weapons and a calendar with some of the sexiest women of this year in bikini's."

"Gross..."

The people in front of them started shifting uncomfortably as time dragged on. The sun fell and beamed directly into people's eyes; some looked away, others created a shadow with their hands.Richard opted for turning his back to the blinding light. "Your turn."

"I didn't agree to anything." Silvia huffed but the distraction was something that she craved. Every moment of silence only filled her with dread. "But if you must know, it's just a normal room. There's a crappy bed against the wall, posters, and action figures."

Richard lifted a dark eyebrow at her. "That's what you call a 'normal' room? You just have posters of random pop groups on your wall?"

"What? Of course not! My posters are of old action movies... Like The Terminator, Total Recall, Rambo, Alien, Indiana Jones, Rush Hour, Enter the Dragon, Drunken Master, Blade, Speed, The Matri-"

"So, long story short, you've got pictures of old guys when they were young on your wall?"

Silvia paused, unsure of whether this was something she should have been ashamed about. "Uhh... I guess?"

"How did Clark feel about that?"

Silvia's shoulders slumped and her gaze directed back to the empty sky. "He... isn't really into action movies."

"Then what's he into?"

"A lot of family comedies... a few old movies his parents watched, and he has a soft spot for romances." Silvia shivered. "He once made me go see one with him... I fell asleep halfway through it."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

Silvia shrugged but her stare never left the darkening sky. The wind blew through her hair, the cold like a spear in her guts as it increased. There was still no sign of him...

Silvia hung her head, a gasp sounding from the crowd only moments later. Richard shook her shoulder and she upturned her gaze. There was something in among a backdrop of clouds. It looked like a bird at first, the last of the sun's rays engulfing it in shadow. Then as it got closer she saw a very distinct shade of red.

"It's Superman!" Someone screamed and the crowd gave a collective cheer.

A great weight was lifted from Silvia's chest. Her eyes stayed fixed on the figure as it came closer, glazed with tears at the relief she felt. Superman finally touched the earth. He stood a few heads taller than most of the crowd but the way his shoulders were slumping made him look a little shorter than usual. He was visibly exhausted.

Reporters swarmed to him like bees to pollen. They shoved cameras and microphones in front of him and barraged him with questions, only to be barely heard over the civilians. Superman gave his usual charming smile and pushed himself to address the people that had been waiting for him. "I have realigned the asteroid away from Earth. Metropolis, and our world, will be left unscathed."

The employees from NASA gave him a thumbs up. Superman nodded and scanned the crowd. His gaze stopped on Silvia who gave him a weak smile until Richard blocked him from her view.

"Well, now that we know the big guy's alright." He began casually. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the pub with me."

"Th-The pub?" Silvia asked, trying to discreetly look over his shoulder.

"Yeah. Well, I haven't really asked you out since Bruce's party." Richard ran a hand through his dark hair. "So, this is me asking you out for a second date."

Silvia bit her lip. They were definitely more suited for one another; they had more in common than she had with Clark. In fact, her and Clark were almost complete opposites... but the thought of being without him after the fear she had just felt almost broke her down completely.

In another life maybe her and Richard would have been perfect for each other. They would have spent their time on the back of motorcycle's, fighting crime together, and drinking copious amounts of alcohol while watching the newest action movie... but this wasn't that world.

In this universe Silvia was in love with a dork with a smile as bright as the sun, and morals that she could never live up to. A man with the power to destroy whole planets but the heart to make them better instead. He didn't like action movies because his own life was too full of it, he didn't need to ride a motorcycle because he flew everywhere, Silvia couldn't fight alongside him because his enemies were beyond her power, and he only drank on social occasions.

Their relationship would be a lot more complicated than her and Richard's... but it was worth it.

"Dick, I..." Silvia gave a shaky inhale. "I think... that maybe you should ask Starfire instead."

She watched as the sparkle in his eyes faded with disappointment. "...Why?"

"I just feel like you two should be together." Silvia tried to smile wide enough for the both of them but his expression made it twice as difficult. "I don't know, it's like you're meant for each other."

Silvia's attempts to spot Clark behind Richard didn't go unnoticed and the man sighed. "Well... if I'm going to lose to anyone, I'm glad it's Superman." This finally grabbed Silvia's attention. She gave him an apologetic look but he shook his head. "If he ever messes up again I'll just have to try harder to steal you away."

Richard stepped aside and gestured toward Superman who was now sifting through the groups of people to get over to them. He knew what they had said, with hearing like his how could he not?

Superman gave Richard a smug smile though it seemed more playful than vicious. Richard still appeared discouraged but acknowledged him all the same. "See you later, Sil." He said before taking his leave.

Silvia waved but couldn't find any words as she stared at the hero in front of her. She knew now, without any doubt, that she had fallen for him long ago. Superman's tired smile brightened and he extended his hand out towards her. "May I give you a lift home?"

There was a hitch in Silvia's lungs. She had just gotten back on her feet and now she had to decide whether to face her fear again or not. She certainly didn't want to but she had to prove that she trusted him. For the first time since Silvia had met the man, she knew that she could overcome the terror heights brought her... because he'd be right beside her.

Her hand shook when it touched his but the action brought Clark visible joy. He gently tugged her closer and picked her up bridal style. Silvia's arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried into his shoulder. The sound of camera flashes could be heard clicking in the distance as they left the ground.

Silvia's eyes were shut tight as the cold wind blew colder and more swift. She felt Clark's neck crane to look at her but her face was still hidden against his broad chest. She was trembling like a leaf in mid Autumn.

Clark chuckled. "We're right up now. Take a look, Sil."

His voice was so soft and reassuring that she actually found herself shifting to take a look. All around them the sky stretched out immense and scattered with birds and clouds. It was a vast expanse that reached to the distant horizon and beyond. It was like a sea, Silvia thought. There were no hills, no grassy plains, no cities nor roads, only an endless stretch of blue.

Silvia turned to look at the man still holding tightly onto her. His eyes were even bluer. They were her sky, not this untouchable airspace that lingered overhead. For once she didn't think to look down. She focused on Clark alone. He was alive, breathing and staring at her with that breathtaking smile.

This didn't mean that she wasn't absolutely terrified, but this time she could face it head on because she finally trusted the man with her. It had only taken his near death experience for her to realise it.


	32. Thirty-Two

**_Chapter Thirty-Two: Solitude_**

The wind gave one final shutter through Silvia's hair, pushing it back like a golden cape to match Superman's. The window to Clark's apartment was open, the white curtains blowing in whichever direction the afternoon air wished it to. Superman carefully entered, his boots touching the carpet just as Silvia's did.

His apartment was right at the top of the complex over top of an abandoned alley. It was the kind of place that made it very difficult to be caught entering through the window. She supposed that he needed that with him being one of the most talked about people in the world. A picture of him was worth hundreds, his identity was surely worth thousands... maybe millions.

"You did well, Sil." Clark said with a smile that could light up any darkness.

"If you saw me earlier you wouldn't be saying that." Silvia replied sheepishly.

Clark shook his head, a chuckle sounding from his throat. "Yeah, Bruce told me about that. No one can blame you, the Watchtower would be a nightmare for anyone afraid of heights."

"You were at the Watchtower?"

"I was passing by." Clark answered. "I wanted to see how you were."

Silvia's lips formed an 'o' and she glanced down to the ground guiltily. "I'm sorry... You had the whole world to worry about, you shouldn't have had to be concerned about me."

Clark's finger grazed under her chin and gently tilted her face back up to look at him. "Silvia... You are my world." He stared at her adoringly, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Now, turn around for me."

Silvia's heart felt so full at his words. He made her question every promise she ever made to herself. He made her open up when she didn't even want to let herself in. He helped her to breathe when she didn't want to anymore and he helped her see that it's okay to fall in love. Silvia's mouth melted into a smile of awe and she turned, not bothering to express her curiosity.

She felt something being placed around her neck and quickly glanced down to see the familiar sparkling jewel of the necklace Clark had given her before. She gasped at the sight, hand instantly reaching up to grip it protectively.

"But Clark!" Silvia said in a surprised tone, spinning back around to face him. "Bruce said-"

"Forget what he said. I gave it to you; it's yours. I should've told you this before...but I wanted you to make up your own mind. That crystal holds the work of a great kryptonian scientist named Jor-El...my father. His research into kryptonian medicine included an in-dept deconstructive analysis on our people's physiology. With that kind of data, my enemies could learn what makes me tick. They could find weaknesses I don't even know about yet."

Silvia shivered. "Then please take it back! It's too important to be giving to me..."

"I have no doubt that it's safest with someone like you." Clark stepped closer to her, eyes sparkling down at her. "Sil, I don't just trust you with my own life. I trust you with my people's."

Her silvery blue eyes looked as if an ocean had been encased inside of small glass marbles. "Oh, Clark..." Then the smooth spheres appeared to be cracked; the ocean had started to leak, little water droplets streamed down Silvia's pale cheeks. She was so touched that holding back her tears felt impossible.

She didn't know how to thank him for trusting her or show her gratitude in any vocal way. So, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to shorten the height difference, and pressed her lips against his. Tears still fell freely from her and her lips quivered against him.

When he finally kissed her back, everything went oddly quiet, like the moment of silence between lightning and thunder. They kissed again. The next kiss is the kind that breaks open the sky. It stole her breath and gave it back to her all at once. It showed her that every other kiss she'd had in her life had been wrong. She was only ever meant to kiss this man and no one else.

She was everywhere up his back and over his arms and suddenly she was kissing him harder, deeper, with a fervent urgent need she'd never known before. Silvia wanted more... and she could have it now, right? There were no more secrets between them. Her fingers travelled down to his chest, moving over the symbol on his chest.

Silvia parted from his lips, hovering only inches away so that when she spoke their lips would almost touch again. "As good as you look in that costume... How exactly do I take it off?"

Clark froze. His eyes were shut tighter than Silvia's were when they were flying. He looked almost pained when he softly pushed away from her. His exhale was heavy, shaky almost. "I'm sorry, we... can't."

Silvia's brow furrowed. "Why not? I get that your morals stopped you before because I didn't know who you are, but now?"

The man looked a little reluctant to answer and so he glanced over at the clock that's ticking suddenly seemed a lot louder than before. "It should be on in a minute... I'll have to show you."

He walked towards the television perched up in his living room and switched it on. He flicked through a few channels before stopping on the news. There was a woman sitting at a desk but Silvia couldn't hear what she was saying until Clark unmuted it.

"NASA has provided us with some incredible footage this afternoon of Superman's startling deflection of the comet 49f's intercept course of Earth." Her voice was smooth and controlled, just like everyone else in her profession. "Recorded by the HERMES-3 orbital satellite, the video shows the Man of Steel ramming head first into the comet, which was measured at approximately two point seven by two point five miles and was traveling at an incredible eighty four thousand miles per hour."

The image flicked to another, of a glowing blue ball speeding to Earth. Silvia blinked and Superman was there, pushing the giant icy rock off course. 'Incredible' was certainly the word for it. The rock was unbelievably large, so much so that Superman was a speck against it, and it was spiralling with such force that Superman's strength was suddenly a lot more real. It was almost confronting.

Superman turned the television back off and looked at her hesitantly. He appeared a little afraid that she'd be scared of him. "That wasn't even my full strength. That asteroid was like a light workout for me... Even though I was poisoned it was no challenge."

Silvia bit her lip but nodded all the same. "I get it. You hold back because you'll hurt me if you don't."

"Silvia..." Clark said, agony in his voice. "I'll kill you if I don't."

Silvia took in a shivering breath. She wasn't sure whether to be horrified or heartbroken.

Clark averted his gaze to the ground in shame, his jaw clenched and his teeth set in a growl. "Even sleeping in the same bed with you is a risk. If I move the wrong way I could decapitate you or break every bone in your body, if I'm kissing you and I hold you too tightly I could crush you. It would all be so easy for me... Too easy. I have to think about every single little movement. I have to be precise and clear-headed, if we go too far I might lose control."

Now she knew exactly how to feel. Her heart broke for the man. All this time it had been a daily struggle just to touch her without killing her. She rushed over to him, hand reaching out to caress his cheek warmly. She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, I understand. I'm sorry if I came off a little pushy."

"No, you shouldn't be sorry. It's a normal part of a relationship. You have every right to question me on it." He sighed, tucking a strand of blond hair out of Silvia's face. "It's just that I love you... so much and I would never forgive myself if I ever put you at risk."

Silvia felt her heart skip. A dark blush spread across her face, as crimson as Superman's cape. "Y-You do? I... love you too."

Clark instantly seemed to brighten up. "Oh yeah? Since when?" He teased.

"I-I'm not really sure..." She stuttered in embarrassment.

Clark wrapped his arms around her waist as carefully as he always did and held her close. "Well, I never thought I'd hear those words from you." His chuckle found air but was quickly muffled by guilt. "Still... I'm sorry about all this. I know being with me wont exactly be normal."

"It's alright, you're just worried about me. I can't exactly be mad at you for that... but have you ever tried?"

Clark shifted uncomfortably. "Yes... Every girl I've been with has been bothered by it. I could see how miserable they were, and I was too, so I tried but..."

"You hurt them?"

"No I stopped before I could, but if I had kept going I would have."

Silvia buried her head in his chest, "I'm so sorry, Clark... Does that mean you've never...?"

"Not exactly." His voice sounded a little hesitant now but he answered regardless."I... Diana and I..."

Diana?! How was she meant to compete with Wonder Woman?! Silvia's muscles tensed in his grasp. "O-Oh."

"I regretted it as soon as I'd done it. It went against everything I believed to sleep with her without any romantic feeling towards her... but I was vulnerable and holding back is almost maddening sometimes."

Silvia cleared her throat, hoping that her voice would come out in more than a squeak. "It's alright, we don't have to talk about it anymore." She pulled away from him, forcing a smile onto her face. "Why don't you go get us Mexican instead? Since I'm not allowed to have you and all. Plus I'm hungry. Really hungry. I mean, two burritos, four tacos and a plate of nachos hungry."

It was obvious that she was trying to lighten the mood, and to take Clark's mind off of it. For that he was grateful. She was the first that didn't instantly question their relationship because of his anxiety surrounding the act. He opened his mouth to agree but a scream reached his ears before he could.

Clark spun around to stare at the window. He didn't need to say anything for Silvia to understand. "Well?" She said without a shred of disappointment. "What are you waiting for? Go save the day, Dorothy."

Clark glanced over his shoulder. He nodded and within seconds he was gone. Silvia was left alone in his apartment... which was honestly a bit of a blessing. Not only did he have a much bigger television than hers, and his cabinets were full of food.

Silvia had not only eaten tons of the chips he had stashed away but she also found a tub of cookie dough ice cream in the freezer. The only down side was that any movie Clark owned was way before her time... Gone with the Wind, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Romeo and Juliet, The Wizard of Oz, Waterloo Bridge, Vertigo, A Streetcar Named Desire, and many more that were made decades ago. Anything aside from that was popular romances like The Titanic and The Notebook, which looked like it had been watched very often.

Silvia had attempted to watch one of them but was so bored that she ended up just flicking to the regular T.V channels. Luckily, The Godfather was playing on one of them. By the time it finished Clark still hadn't returned...and the sickening worry started up again.

Time dragged on. Minutes felt like hours and hours seemed like days. Even into the early morning she couldn't sleep. Silvia was starting to think that she could go out looking for him when he finally flew through the window. He looked a little surprised that she was still awake.

"Sil, I'm so sorry. There was a mass-scale breakout. I had to find all of the prisoners and arrest them again."

Silvia quickly wiped her eyes and sniffled, running over to embrace him. "It's okay... I'm just glad you're alright."

Clark could hear the hitch in her voice and felt terrible that he was the one that had created such a heartbreaking sound. "You didn't sign up for this... You wanted Clark. You wanted someone normal. I won't hold it against you if you change your mind about us... It'll never be easy."

Silvia blinked up at him in surprise. "Clark... I chose you. Whether you're wearing the costume or not, it doesn't change the man I love. Besides, I was never a big fan of 'easy'."

A grateful, adoring expression lifted onto the man's face and replaced all tiredness. "Well, since you know everything else about me I should probably elaborate on it."

"Elaborate?"

He tightened his grip around her waist and in an instant they were hovering above the ground. "As long as you're up for another trip."

Her shoulders slumped but she appeared at least a little more open to the idea than before. "Just try not to drop me and I think I can handle it."

"I would never."

The sky was still dark when they left but a few trickles of the suns rays were starting to pierce through the horizon. The most notable change the further they went was the weather. It was becoming absolutely freezing, below any temperature she could handle. Silvia felt like she was back on that reporting trip to the ice caps... and maybe she was. The ground was completely white, a mixture of snow and ice.

The only thing preventing Silvia from developing severe frostbite was the heat radiating from Clark's body. She felt the urge to ask why they were so far away from Metropolis before he flew them into an opening in a glacier.

In less than a second she saw the ice merge with solid metal around them. This tunnel continued for a minute, then opened into a gigantic ice cavern that was almost as big as a football field. In the middle of this chamber was a statue of a man and a woman holding a large orb above them. They both wore Superman's 'S' shield on their odd clothes. The statue was roughly 20 metres tall at the top of the orb.

"This is my home away from home."

Silvia's mouth was wide open as Clark landed in front of the statue and gently set her down by his side. One arm wrapped around Silvia, he smiled warmly at the statue. "I wanted to honour my birth parents and the planet I came from... I wanted to be able to look at them without using a hologram."

"You...built that?"

Clark smirked and quipped "You sound impressed."

"It's...beautiful." Silvia muttered, still studying every intricate detail that Clark carved into the immense sculpture.

"Come on, I wanna show you something." Clark said playfully, taking Silvia's hand and guiding her to a corridor to the left of the statue of his parents.

Silvia joked "It has to be something pretty cool to top that statue."

On the way, Silvia was bewildered by dozens of trinkets and whatnot in glass cabinets. Well, Silvia thought that they were glass...they could've been anything from what she knew. There were also strange alien animals held in spacious areas behind a similar glass-like material... "What...the fuck...?" Silvia mumbled. "What the hell kind of place is this...?"

"Bare with me, will you?" Clark replied, continuing to lead her somewhere.

Before too long, the two arrived before a metal door shaped like the 'S' shield. Silvia leaned onto Clark's shoulder. "Gee, you really like the letter S don't you?"

"It was my birth family's crest, thank you very much."

"Gee your family really liked the letter S, didn't they?" A blue beam of light erupted from a slit on the door and focused on Clark's eyes, like it was a retinal scanner. While it did its thing, Silvia suddenly realised something that urged her to interrupt Clark before he could say something clever. "Wait...so its just a coincidence that it looks like an S?"

"Yeah. I'm sure glad Lois came up with 'Superman' for the paper the day I debuted. Would've been confusing if it didn't start with S."

The door then creaked and slid apart, splitting the insignia on it. From beyond, rays of red light poured out. Clark and Silvia stepped inside, prompting the door to shut behind them. Silvia's eyes adjusted to the strange bright red light, and eventually it all looked as normal as sunlight. Looking around, she spied rough rock formations, sprouting with blue vines and purple flora. The room was tennis court sized...and covered with strange plants and grass.

Sending her eyes to the ceiling, Silvia noticed that there were several lamps projecting that red light. "This is the Chamber of Rao...probably the closest thing to Krypton anyone will ever experience." Clark told Silvia softly. "It's named after Krypton's sun. It was a red sun, much older than Earth's one. These lights project the same kind of radiation, allowing these native plants to grow. Hal helped me track down some rare specimens in marketplaces across the universe."

Silvia inched towards a throbbing blue flower no bigger than a duck's egg and stared at it as it pulsated and shivered. As she tapped it with a finger, it expanded and opened, revealing several soft flailing tentacles.

"Kryptonians didn't have the abilities that I have. It all comes from Earth's young sun. It nourishes my cells and charges me up like a battery. So under red sunlight, I'm...human, basically."

Silvia sent her attention back to Clark. He flexed the fingers of his right hand as he looked at them. "Really...?" Silvia asked.

Clark lowered his hand. "Yeah."

"No, no...like...does that mean...we can...you know..." She stammered as she flashed back over to Clark and pressed herself against his chest.

It took Clark a full three seconds to understand what she was getting at. His brow immediately raised in surprise. "Oh. I...uh...never thought about it like that."

Silvia chuckled mischievously, running a finger along the outline of his jaw. "You're so innocent... Maybe we shouldn't after all. I'd hate to corrupt you."

"Too late for that." Suddenly, he held her further against him and bent his head to kiss her. She melted into him as his fingers tangled in her hair.

They molded together, fitted against one another with stunning perfection. Silvia had never felt as she did now, exploring the taste of him; watching him let go of his usual control and holding nothing back. Feeling the strength of his arms around her. Inhaling nutmeg and fresh air and soap. His scents. She felt as though she'd found a moment of forever. Like this was how they should've always been.

Silvia felt his lips against her shoulder, soft and scorching and tender, so gentle she could almost believe it was the kiss of a breeze and not a man. Then as he trailed to her neck he started applying a little more pressure. Silvia gasped, hands grasping tightly onto his arms.

Clark gave a sharp inhale. "S-Sil... You're stronger than me in here." He said breathlessly, and she could tell that he was finding it hard to form words in the midst of their passion. "You'll have to be careful with me this time."

An airy giggle left the girl's lips. "N-No promises." She said but loosened her grip on him anyway. Though Silvia was stronger than the average person, she was no where near the level of those with super-strength. To be gentle wouldn't take much effort, and she definitely wouldn't feel deprived of anything by doing so.

Clark would have retorted if his mind wasn't so foggy. He pushed her up against the wall, tasting the lingering flavor of ice cream on the blonde's tongue. He groaned low in his throat. Anything he had been suppressing came to the surface, dominating and raw. Every moment he had spent not worshipping her body he made up for, and he had never felt so close to anyone. He doubted that he ever would again if he was ever to lose her.


	33. Thirty-Three

**_Chapter Thirty-Three: Smallville_**

The engine roared as they drove down the dirt road. Silvia was in the passengers seat of the old, worn-down ute and Clark was at the wheel. He didn't drive around Metropolis because there was simply no need to. He flew as often as he could, and if he was trying to blend in he'd just use public transport. When he went back home to Kansas though he always took his ute.

Silvia was shifting uncomfortably in her seat, eyes fixed on their surroundings as they passed. So much so that it was becoming obvious that she didn't want to be there. Tree... another tree... another tree...

Clark freed one of his hands from the wheel and placed it on her thigh reassuringly. "There's nothing to worry about. They just want to get to know you a little more."

"Your father doesn't like me... I know he doesn't." Silvia sighed but ran light fingers over his hand, grateful that he was at least trying to calm her down. "It's because he knows who I am, isn't it?"

Clark went silent for a second, eyes on the road but lips tightening into a straight line. "I'm sorry, Sil. I told them before I knew how I felt about you... I just needed some advice and they're always the ones I turn to."

"Somehow I doubt that your father's advice was anything but 'lock her up'."

"Well... you're not wrong." Clark sighed. "But they're willing to give you a chance now, all I ask is that you do the same."

"Parents aren't my thing, but I'll... try."

Clark smiled gently. "Thank you. They mean a lot to me."

"I know they do."

The dirt road slowly got rougher, and the rocks became looser. A sign whizzed by the window saying 'Welcome to Smallville' and soon the small town came into view.

The country had its own charm about it. There were people lifting heavy bags into trucks, stands selling fresh fruit and vegetables, and animals being transferred between farms. It was all very new to Silvia, but there was something sweet about it. She could see that this was where Clark had grown up.

They kept driving a little longer until the town was replaced by the occasional house, and then it was nothing but trees again. Finally, a farm could be seen in the distance. Cows, sheep, and pigs all locked in their large pens; horses in their stables.

"This is it." Clark said, expression glowing warmly. It made apparent the weight this meeting held. He loved this place so dearly that to bring her here must have meant that he was serious about her.

As they entered the driveway the loud barking of a dog could be heard and Silvia's head whipped around searching for it. There, running beside the ute, was a brown sheep dog with a green collar and scruffy fur. Silvia's eyes lit up. At least the dog could provide her with a distraction from the nerves still littering in her stomach.

As the ute rolled to a halt the door to the house swung open. Out walked the same couple Silvia had met a few months ago. The woman had her arms outstretched towards Clark and the man flashed a proud smile.

"Welcome back, son." Mr. Kent boomed.

"Thanks, Pa." Clark replied, giving his mother a hug and then turning to shake his father's hand.

Silvia found the courage to exit the vehicle but stayed right beside it, far too anxious to walk over and say hello. She did wave when they looked st her though, which earned a light-hearted smile from Clark.

He stepped over, grabbing her arm and leading her over to his parents. She gulped and held onto him even tighter.

"Ma, Pa, you've already met Silvia." Clark said, glancing down at the nervous girl adoringly. "She's very important to me."

They both looked as hesitant as before, but regardless, Martha wrapped her in a hug and Jonathan held his hand out to shake. Silvia accepted the gesture then quickly pulled her hand back to hold Clark's arm. "It's g-good to see you both again."

"You too, dear." Martha sounded a little sympathetic despite her caution and Silvia instantly knew that Clark had informed them of her past... They probably wouldn't have let her in their house if he hadn't. "Come in. I've just learnt how to cook one of Clark's favourite meals."

"Beef bourguignon?" Silvia asked curiously. It wasn't exactly the easiest thing to make if you wanted to do it well and only certain restaurants would even bother with it.

Martha nodded, but Clark looked a little surprised. He hadn't told her that...

Silvia blinked up at him. "You order it almost any opportunity you get. It wasn't that hard to figure out."

Clark grinned. "Oh, so you do pay attention."

"Only when I feel like it."

His parents went back inside, leaving the door open for the two of them. Silvia let out a shaky exhale the moment they left. She could tell that they still weren't exactly fond of her. Luckily, she didn't have to think about this very long because soon the dog came barreling towards her.

For all that muscle he leaped like a puppy and then pushed his body into hers as soon as Silvia was close enough. In seconds her hand was covered in slobber, the dogs tongue of sandpaper almost dripping with every lick. His tail wasn't wagging side to side but going round and round like a helicopter blade; any happier and she thought those dinner-plate paws might catch some air.

"How you doin', bud?" Clark laughed, ruffling the fur on his head and motioning for Silvia to follow him inside.

Silvia gave the dog one final pat before hurrying inside. The screen door creaked shut behind her and the floorboards made a similar noise beneath. The house was covered in photos, mainly of Clark but there were a select few with Jonathan as well. It was rare to see one of Martha among the collection but when she did it was with the entire family.

The majority of the furniture was made of different kinds of wood, the scent of sawdust and barn animals dominating the air. It was an unfamiliar smell to Silvia but Clark seemed almost relaxed by it.

In the kitchen was a table made of oak. Four plates sat full to the very edges on each side; Martha waited patiently reading the cover of the newspaper Jonathan held up. Clark pulled the seat out for Silvia before going to his own on the opposite side.

"Thanks, Ma. It looks great!" Clark beamed.

"Yes..." Silvia said through the anxiety laying on her chest. "Thank you, Mrs Kent."

The food was pretty good. At the very least Silvia could tell that Clark was overjoyed to be having his favourite dish and his mother's cooking all in one. As her stomach began to feel bloated Silvia's eating started to slow, but Clark was already on his fourth serving.

It hadn't been quiet like she had expected. Martha, Jonathan and Clark all sparked multiple conversations between the three of them but for the most part Silvia stayed silent. She didn't feel welcome in their 'family time'. Of course, she wasn't fortunate enough for it to stay that way.

"So, Silvia..." Jonathan spoke up, taking another forkful of beef. "Clark says that you've helped him save Metropolis a few times."

"W-Well I..." Silvia stuttered, not sure how to answer.

"He's also said that you're a murderer."

Silvia tensed. It felt like her body was encased in ice and unable to move, let alone speak.

"Pa!" Clark retorted, forehead crinkling in disapproval. "I never said that."

"Son, you said that she's killed."

"That's over. It isn't something that needs discussing." Clark sounded like he was almost pleading with his father to drop the subject.

"It's alright, Dorothy..." Silvia suddenly found her voice again, though her breathing was rapid and shallow. She could feel her pulse pounding in her temples. It was a relief that she was sitting down because her legs shaking. Like hail on a glass pane, the drumming of her fingers was as relentless as it was loud. Each click of the chipped nails on the table echoed the tumultuous thudding of her heart beat. Her face, rigid with tension, belied uncertainly. "He's right, I have killed people. It's not something I can hide."

Jonathan's eyes struck her, as stern and intimidating as a furious father rousing on a child. "I wouldn't usually ask but you are dating my son. I appreciate your honesty but if I'm honest I don't think you're right for Clark... or this family."

"Jonathan!" Martha gasped though she didn't exactly disagree.

"Pa, that's not your decision to make!" Clark said rather loudly. "Please, you said you wouldn't start anything."

"I'm sorry, son." Jonathan replied unwavering. "But it's important that we stick to our morals. She goes against everything I've taught you."

"I understand." Silvia replied quietly. "I'd feel the same way if I were you... I'm not going to try and excuse my actions because there's no reason good enough, but Clark is lucky to have you. You taught him how to be a man the world could be proud of but I had to learn through experience. I had no one to teach me right from wrong, and no where to go for help. You may not agree with what I've done but trust that my intentions were always good."

"Your intentions can't be good if you're willing to kill for them."

"I know you won't ever comprehend it because you haven't been through it so I won't try and explain what you can't understand. Whether you accept me or not though, I'm grateful to you both." Silvia somehow managed to smile at them but it looked like a struggle to maintain it. "You raised a great man. He not only saved me, he showed me that there is hope to be found in the world I'd given up on. Without you he never would have been able to do that. So, thank you."

The feeling of Clark's hand on top of hers startled Silvia slightly but not as much as the loving kiss he placed on her cheek. His parents grew quiet. Jonathan in particular wasn't sure what to think of the girl. He still didn't trust her and that was the main problem.

Just as Clark was staring down at Silvia adoringly there was a bang farther than Silvia could usually hear, but it was so loud that she could. Clark instantly stood from his seat. "Something's wrong. I need to go."

"Be safe, Dorothy." Silvia said, the worry already sinking in.

Clark turned toward her regretfully. "I'm sorry... I hate to leave you in such an awkward situation."

Silvia shook her head. "No, it's alright. We've already had the 'it won't be easy' talk. Now go before it gets worse."

Clark nodded, giving both of his parents a wave before leaving. He was gone in an instant, no trace that he was even there except for the empty plate on the table.

It was odd being left with his parents, especially when they didn't exactly see eye to eye. Thankfully Jonathan and Martha had gone to do some farm work after Clark's departure so there wasn't another uncomfortable conversation.

Silvia was just pondering how much she already missed Clark when she heard something break through the earth. She rushed out only to see a massive crater in the front yard. A rock burned in the hole then cracked open.

Out came a robot... one she had never seen before. It looked weaved together by machines she couldn't even begin to understand. It's glowing eyes turned to the right and its heavy legs marched through the farm.

Silvia was having so much trouble registering what she had just witnessed that she didn't even think to follow the thing until she heard a frightened scream. Silvia jumped at the sound, head snapping in the direction it had come from. The robot was approaching the Kents... and fast.

She ran as she'd never run before, with neither hope nor despair. Her mind was blank, focused only on getting to Clark's parents in time. Fate had placed her in a position of responsibility and she had accepted the burden without question.

Just as the droid was honing in on Jonathan, who was shielding Martha with his own body, Silvia had leaped into the air and tackled it to the ground. The machine made a whining noise like cogs scraping together, and with a flick of its arms it had thrown her off.

A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout Silvia's body. Her stomach ached from where its metal arms had shoved her off, and her back from the hard landing. Still, she got straight back to her feet the moment the robot did. It was a horrible idea to not bring any of her guns...

Silvia frantically searched for anything to use, but all she found was a fairly large log of wood that had yet to be chopped. She groaned, bending down to pick it up. The weight was incredible even for her. Every muscle strained, sweat poured from her face, and her teeth were clenching so hard that she could have sworn that she felt them cracking under the pressure.

When she got it off of the ground the real effort was not dropping it. With all of her strength she swung it backwards and then towards the droid. The wood hit against its head and split into two. "Oh shit..." Silvia cursed, dropping the broken log.

At first she thought her efforts were for nothing... but then she looked closer. A wire had detached from its neck and was sparking loosely in the air. The loss of support had left its head sloping. This wasn't going to be easy but at least she now knew that it was possible.

Suddenly its fist was slamming into her face while she sunk her punch into its torso. Blood pooled in her mouth as the robots stomach dented. Silvia stumbled back for a brief second before diving back at the droid, eyes narrowed in determination.

It dodged her fist and came up with its own; for a brief instant, her blue eyes widened before she managed to tilt her head back and slam it into the robots. Stars burst in her vision but she shook it off, blinding throwing a sloppy kick. It caught her ankle in mid-air and twisted it until a loud 'crack' sounded.

Silvia screamed in agony, only barely managing to yank her leg away. The pain only enhanced her focus, like the serum had been released in her mind again. She threw her body weight behind the fist that edged closer to its face, she hit its jaw with such force crimson pooled between her fingers. Now there was blood on her knuckles and a bruise above her right eye, not to mention her broken ankle. She could feel none of it.

The droid drew its fist back again and it ploughed into her stomach, it was like hitting a train head on. Her guts smashed together, blood vessels bursting. She repaid this by punching its jaw and it hung off its face at the sheer strength she had used. Silvia continued this battering until it fell to the floor.

She grabbed hold of one of its arms, pulling and twisting until it began tearing off. She let out a growl at the effort it took. Her back throbbed, her arm muscles felt like they were ripping apart and her lungs stung with each inhale. She had almost pulled the arm off completely when it slammed her into the nearby barn. The structure broke and she went straight through.

Her head was spinning and a stray bit of wood had pierced right through her thigh. She hissed at the feeling but it only set off more adrenaline... her instincts heightened. She heard someone, likely Jonathan, throw something at the robot and Martha's terrified panting. She shakily got back up and limped out. It was right in front of the Kents again.

No. She couldn't let it touch them. She ran, this time like an animal. Her ankle would roll and crack with every step, and her thigh would pour more blood from its wound. She jumped onto its back and placed both hands on either side of its skull. She pushed with all of her might, trying to squash its head in. It didn't budge... It was getting closer to Jonathan. Her muscles rippled and tore as she applied ever ounce of pressure that she could.

"Just die already!" She grunted, feeling her hands begin to fracture.

The moment she somehow scraped up an extra hit of power she applied it to the droids skull and felt every bone in her fingers and hands break one at a time. It's impossible to feel another's pain, but the scream that tore through Silvia's throat came close. It was the kind of scream that puts every other thought on hold and roots everyone close in the very same agony. Even through her blurred perception she could feel the pain.

She wanted to stop. God, it hurt more than anything she'd ever felt... but she couldn't. That thing would kill Clark's parents if it got the chance. Any agony that coursed through her was aimed at crushing the droids head, and with one final cry of anguish as the last bone in her hand snapped, she succeeded.

As the droid fell so did Silvia, trembling in torture. Her whole body was begging to go limp and she couldn't move her hands at all. She felt someone grab her arm and help her up. She gave a sharp inhale at the pain but was too delusional to scream again. Jonathan carefully lifted her elbow to get a better look at one of her hands.

"God... Martha! Call an ambulance!" He said seriously and his wife dashed into the house. Silvia's hands were a bloody mess, unmoving and with white bone piercing through the skin. Jonathan tapped her shoulder, trying to keep her conscious. "It'll be alright, Silvia. You did a good job... Thank you... Maybe I was wrong about you. My son wouldn't see something in you if it wasn't there."

Silvia's mind was a blur but his approval managed to reach her. She smiled, it was forced and hazy but it was there...then it happened. Jonathan gasped, his hand moving from her arm to his own. His fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt and he grunted. Martha exited the house and Jonathan dropped.

The blonde leaned forward to catch him, hooking her arms around him and breath hitching at the pain the jolted up her hands. Martha shrieked and sprinted over, tripping right at her husband's side and taking him in her arms.

"Jonathan?!" She bellowed but he wasn't breathing anymore... Silvia could hear it. His heart had given out.

"Clark..." Silvia said through her daze. The world was flipping and turning around her in double but she forced her eyes to stay awake. "Clark!!"

And then he was there, his blue eyes filled with tears.


	34. Thirty-Four

**_Chapter Thirty-Four: Broken Mirror_**

Struggling to hold back the grief, tears flowed steadily and silently down immobile faces. The sky was dark and grey. The grief in the air hung like a thick, wool blanket, draped over all of them. There were no smiles from the remembrance of Jonathan Kent, stories which they remembered about the good times they'd had. Only sorrow over the loss of a wonderful soul, husband and father. It felt as if time itself was standing still; that this was just a horrible nightmare that the family wanted to wake up from.

As the coffin was lowered people draped in black stood around it. Martha was crying hysterically in her sons chest, and Clark was holding her as tight as he possibly could without hurting her. His own face was streaked with tears but he bit back any sob that threatened to escape and instead stared at the newly dug grave.

Seeing Clark like that made her heart as barren as the moors on a desolate winter morn. She didn't know what to do in this kind of situation... If it were her she'd want to be left alone but Clark was different. She lifted her arm to touch his shoulder but winced before she could. For the most part her hands had healed quickly but a few of the more delicate bones were still mending.

The priest had already recited the sermon and a few people had gotten up to speak about their love for Jonathan; Clark was one of them. It was the hardest thing in the world watching him struggle to form words at the stand...

Worst of all, Silvia felt responsible for all of it. Even a few days after the funeral she still felt like it was her fault. She should have been able to stop it... somehow.

To enter the cemetery she had to skirt around a pile of brown frosted leaves, the innumerable flashing fragments shone in the brilliant wintry light, for today there was no weather; no wind, no cloud, just subzero temperatures. Even the leaf stems laid white and sharp.

Ahead the path glistened like white quartz, yet ice crystals on weary concrete is all it was. All this beauty over everything dead. And here she was to add to it with a bunch of pink roses in her recovered and gloved hand. She paused, her breath rising in visible puffs, then she remembered why she had returned. At the funeral she barely had an opportunity to pay her respects... She had felt too guilty. She was here to correct that.

She placed the roses on Jonathan's grave, right next to the new tombstone. His was the most cared for in the entire cemetery, though she figured that was because he had only been buried for five days.

Silvia was just in the middle of confessing her guilt when something zapped in front of her. Was that lightening?... It happened again, and again until finally a figure appeared amongst the bolts.

"Flash?" Silvia questioned, though he didn't exactly look like him. Even with his mask on he looked a little older than the Flash that she knew.

"Silvia." He said lowly and this at least confirmed that he was who she thought he was. "Clark's in trouble. You have to help him."

Panic built like an unstoppable snowball in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't concentrate on anything else. Her heart was starting to beat harder and faster, adrenaline levels rising. Clark had already been through so much, she had done everything she possibly could to comfort him but she still worried that it wasn't enough.

"Of course! Take me to him, now." She said so quickly that it was barely understandable.

"I will, but you have to put this on first." He pulled something out of the bag he was carrying... an outfit of some kind. The fabric wasn't anything she'd seen before and it was weaved in odd patterns. "It'll stop you from being torn apart by the speed."

Silvia didn't hesitate for a second. She tore off a layer of her casual clothes, leaving only the new white costume she had 'borrowed' from that hideout. She yanked the outfit from Flash and slipped it on over the top.

"There, lets go." She said hurriedly.

Flash shook his head and held out something else, only this time it was much smaller. "Take this as well."

Silvia picked it up from his palm and stared at the small pill in her hand. She raised an eyebrow then looked up at Flash skeptically. "I'm not taking some random tablet."

"You're going to need it. Trust me." This time the age in his voice was a little more obvious. He sounded older than he should have.

"It's not going to make me old is it? I mean, dude, what happened to you?"

"I promise this will all be explained soon but for now I need you to take that pill. If you don't you'll die, and Clark needs you alive."

Silvia's breath became hollow at the decision before her. She knew it was a bad idea to comply with some half-stranger... but the risk of losing Clark was too heart wrenching. She placed the tablet on her tongue and gulped it down with nothing but saliva to assist it down her throat.

Flash pulled one final thing from his bag... a helmet of some kind. He motioned for her to put her regular mask on and she followed the instructions without question. She was too worried about Clark to delay any longer.

Flash finally secured the helmet on her head, clipping it under her chin and picking her up in arms much stronger than the Flash she knew.

The world around her blurred into nothing but lightening, each bolt striking down on her but she couldn't feel a thing. It didn't take long before Flash skidded to a halt and placed Silvia down in the middle of Metropolis... only it wasn't the Metropolis she remembered.

It looked like every single structure had been rebuilt but in odd designs. Some towers slanted, others were asymmetrical. The most shocking of all was the statue right in front of her... It was Superman standing on top of the world.

"Wh-Where... am I?" Silvia blurted out, mind still trying to grip onto what she was seeing.

"Metropolis... Our Metropolis." Flash answered honestly.

"Are you kidding? This isn't Metropolis...not even close."

"It's not yours. Ours meaning mine...and everyone else here. Short version is...this is an alternate universe, an alternate Earth, and it needs your help."

Silvia sternly replied "What are you talking about? Where's Clark? You said he's in trouble."

"He is. We all are." Flash said, unclipping her helmet and taking it off only to reveal her white mask.

Silvia huffed. "Explain, and make it fast."

"Like I said, this is a parallel Earth. I'm Barry Allen...but not the one you know." Flash sighed at the look of confusion that flashed over Silvia's face. "This world is similar to yours, but slightly different. You with me?"

Silvia shook her head, mouth hanging half open. "Not really."

Flash groaned, waving his arms in a 'forget about it' kind of way. "The important thing is this isn't your Earth but we need you just the same."

"Why don't you just get this universe's version of me...?" Silvia questioned, not entirely sure if she understood the current situation.

"Trust me when I say that's impossible."

"I came here to help Clark... My Clark. It's starting to sound incredibly complicated." Silvia gritted her teeth, trying to grab the helmet back but Flash was obviously too fast. "Take me home."

"Your only way back is through me...and I'm not taking you anywhere just yet. You don't understand what's at stake here." One second later and Flash was also holding the outfit.

Silvia glanced down to find her costume revealed once more. She grumbled.

"Everyone we're up against here has taken that pill I gave you. It enhances durability." He said.

"Did I really need it? You know my powers, right?"

"Well...now you could be hit by Superman and not die instantly."

"Oh..." Silvia blinked at the man. "Not that Superman would ever hit someone with his full strength anyway."

Flash's gaze dropped to the ground and he chewed his lip, like he was regretting saying too much. "Maybe not your Superman... Not yet."

Silvia's brow furrowed. What did he mean by that? She didn't care what version he was, Superman would never do that... Clark would never.

"Look, it doesn't matter. What's important is that if you don't help Clark then we'll be forced to do something else. We'll have to find a way to lock him up...Bruce is even considering sending him to the Phantom Zone." Flash sounded rushed, constantly looking around for any signs of movement.

"Lock him up...!? Clark? Are you serious? What aren't you telling me?" She couldn't understand... Why would they want to arrest Clark? The question bounced around her skull but she didn't get the chance to ask.

Without explanation Flash tossed her an earpiece. "Put it on quickly. We'll be in touch." And then he was gone.

"H-Hey! Wait!" Silvia yelled into the empty air but there was no reply. Flash was probably long gone by now.

She was alone in the middle of a city she knew but didn't recognise... At least she thought she was. It wasn't long after she'd put the ear piece on under her mask when she heard people approaching.

"What's the point of this?" A rather cold, husky voice complained. "Like we're gonna find anyone outta line..."

"Lighten up, Frost." Someone else spoke in a tone that sounded more like a purr. "It could be worse. We could be dead."

The closer they came the more Silvia could identify them. One was wearing full black with ears on her mask and long nails extruding from her gloves. The other had skin with a purplish tinge and hair styled up in a Mohawk. She had seen both of them during the prison escape... Catwoman and Killer Frost.

Silvia still didn't know what Flash wanted her to help with... but she could bet villains wandering around the street was one of them. She jumped out at them, raising her fists with a growl.

"You guys look like you're searching for a fight." She snapped and both of the women stopped in their tracks.

"Does she look familiar to you?" Frost pondered, ice beginning to form around her fists.

"Yeah... She's wearing Reaper's old costume!" Catwoman hissed with amusement. "Ooh, the big boss isn't going to like that."

"Let's rip it off her frozen corpse then."

"You can try." Silvia spat back, visibly preparing for a fight.

There was stillness on both sides. If hatred was visible the air would have been scarlet. Then suddenly movement, so much force in every blow. Silvia rained blows onto Catwoman as if she meant to smash her into the very earth and Catwoman clawed at the air in the hopes of scratching her.

These punches should have been breaking her jaw... At least dislocating it, but she kept bouncing back. These pills really were effective. The distracting thought blocked out Killer Frost until she blew a harsh wind of ice and snow in her direction. The force lifted Silvia off of her feet and sent her crushing into a corner shop. It should have hurt... but it didn't.

When the two women saw Silvia arise unharmed and ready to fight they sighed.

"Who gave this imposter the pill?" Catwoman said.

Killer Frost shrugged, forming a sharp arrow of ice and getting ready to throw it at her. "Who cares."

The icicle came pummelling in Silvia's direction, she gasped and dove out of its way. It missed her by mere inches.

"Celebrate while you can, I'm just getting warmed up." Frost cackled, starting on another weapon of ice.

Before she could complete it something enveloped her target. Silvia suddenly couldn't move... all she could do was struggle as if trapped inside a tight cylinder. She glanced down to see her body engulfed by some kind of black magic.

"Don't kill her yet." Came a voice so dark that even the sound sent a chill up Silvia's spine. She glanced upward to see the owner of the eerie melody. She was covered by a cloak that Silvia couldn't quite tell the colour of. It looked black... but also dark purple. She had the hood up so her face was completely obscured but her skin appeared red like a bad sunburn. "The boss will want to deal with this personally."

The woman was somehow familiar... She had seen someone similar when she was doing that background check on Starfire... Raven was her name, she thought, however the version from her world had skin as pale as Silvia's not anything as odd as this.

"They wouldn't have been able to kill me." Silvia snapped. "You came just in time to witness their downfall."

"I don't doubt it." She answered in that demonic voice. "But when the boss sees who you've been impersonating you won't live long enough to do so."

Silvia was lifted into the air, being dragged behind Raven as she lead her through the remade Metropolis. Killer Frost floated at the very end and Catwoman followed on foot. Silvia could feel the magic crawling up and gripping her mind until it blanked out completely. Darkness was her only sight and her body constantly felt like it was falling.


	35. Thirty-Five

**_Chapter Thirty-Five: Unjust_**

Silvia's ears started functioning before her eyes did and she heard the tiny, garbled chatter of people that sounded like they wore buckets over their heads. "The High Councillor thinks this is actually her?"

"No... he's just too smart to not consider it. I mean he's an alien from a dead planet, we have the daughter of a demon and an Amazon warrior princess working for us..."

Straining her eyes, Silvia finally managed to make out some blurry details of the room around her. She grunted as she shifted and sat upward. She seemed to be inside a cell. Inside this cell was a single bed, a toilet and... that's it. The entire cell was closed off by a clear wall like the ones containing the animals in Clark's Fortress.

She'd also been dressed in a simple orange prison jumpsuit, a type of clothing she thought she'd never find herself in again. In front of this cell were two soldiers, armed with advanced body armour and weaponry. "W-What...What the fuck is this?"

The soldiers glanced at each other and chuckled.Silvia pushed to her feet and immediately tried to ram her hand into the transparent wall keeping her from her captors. Her fist impacted with a shuddering rumble, but more damage was done to her fingers than the clear material.

With a growl, Silvia realigned her knuckles. "Who do you guys work for? Who's this High Councillor?"

"We've been given orders not to speak to you. Ma'am. So keep your mouth shut until he returns and requests your presence." One of the soldier spat.

Silvia laughed, pressing an arm against the window. "Yeah, you're a real tough guy. Let me out and I'll show you tough."

Minutes more of her bickering followed, but the soldiers were as silent and responsive as statues. Without being able to talk her opponents into submission, Silvia eventually threw herself back onto the tiny bed in her cell, trying to figure out why she was there and more importantly, how she was going to get out.

Who in the world could wrangle people like Raven, Killer Frost and Catwoman then make them all work together? Frost is selfish, she'd never work well with anyone else. The same can be said for Catwoman. And Raven on the same side as those two? Silvia knew that something was off, even though her confidence with her thinking skills was low. This High Councillor guy had to be someone really bad...like really bad.

Before long, Silvia's hearing managed to pick up a call that one of the soldiers received through their helmet. "I'm ready for her now." A familiar voice spoke, it was faint but Silvia swore she knew it.

"Yes, sir. Right away." With that, the soldiers stepped towards the cell. One slapped a button on the wall and the other stood with rifle at the ready. Silvia's eyes shot down at the weapon immediately...tempted. But she thought about it. If Raven, Catwoman and Killer Frost were just running around, who knows who could be stationed at...wherever this is. Silvia reluctantly gritted her teeth as the wall rose and a guard fastened a pair of cuffs around her hands.

The pair of soldiers then escorted her out of the prison wing and into a very familiar corridor. Silvia's heart sunk. This seemed just like the part of the Fortress that Clark kept those strange alien animals in and she recognised a lot of the same animals. Maybe all of this happened because Clark...is gone. Silvia remembered the terrible times that Metropolis went through when he was trapped in the Phantom Zone and Zod ran amok... Maybe Zod was the High Councillor and he's taken over the world.

Her mind was racing. She knew that this was a different Clark...not hers...but she was worried. He would still be Clark to her.

Soon enough, the guards pushed Silvia through a doorway and she spied the back of a figure. He was standing at a table...and wore a red cape. "...Clark...?" Silvia called.

The man froze as soon as he heard her voice. As slowly as anyone had ever moved before, the man turned his head over his shoulder. The face that looked at her was...frightening. It was Clark. But his eyes were shallow and almost lifeless. His face was slightly wrinkled and his black hair sported a few strands of grey like he was at least twelve years older.

In complete silence, Superman turned his body to face Silvia and came striding over to her. His uniform was much more complex and ornate than Silvia was used to. It featured complicated details and its cape was connected directly to the emblem.

He stopped mere inches from her and stared at her. Silvia, although she didn't want to admit it, was starting to feel fear.

"Leave us." His sudden command made Silvia jump.

The soldiers unbuckled her handcuffs and swiftly left the room, like they wanted nothing but to please Clark. "Clark...what is this...? What's happening...?"

Clark then walked a circle around Silvia, still scrutinising her. "It can't be you. But it is. I'd never forget your voice...your eyes..."

His voice was different. Sad...angry.

"Your vitals are all wrong...you...you're from a parallel Earth...aren't you? How did you get here?" He pressed.He came back around to Silvia's front and glared, waiting for a response.

Silvia instantly told him the truth. "Barry, he brought me here. He said I can help you."

Silvia then found the courage to reach out and take his hand. Clark flinched but surely accepted her touch.

"It...can't be. It can't be."

"I'm here now."

"He brought you back to me... You're back." Clark muttered.

Silvia once again tried to get answers. "Clark...talk to me. Tell me what happened here."

"...You...You died. The Joker...he...he drugged me. I...killed you. Then he nuked Metropolis. Millions died. Lois...Jimmy..."

"Oh my god, C-Clark... I'm so sorry."

"I couldn't let it happen again. To anyone. To save millions, I took his life. He was beyond saving."

Silvia lowered her brow. "You killed him. But...you taught me that--"

"There's always another way?" Clark interrupted. "You were pregnant, Sil! You were pregnant and I killed you! That was too far. He had to be stopped. But after the Joker, I saw more. People couldn't be kept safe if people like him were allowed to live. That's what you taught me."

Silvia was speechless. She thought that Clark was incorruptible but everything his father taught him, It was all gone. Seeing him so hardened, hearing him say such horrible things... It made her heart feel frozen; like concrete drying in her chest then smashing into dampened pieces. She couldn't believe that he had done such a thing... Not her Clark, never him.

Clark continued "But it doesn't matter now, you're back. You're with me again." He clutched her in a tight embrace but Silvia couldn't help but be afraid. This wasn't Clark. It couldn't be.

"High Councillor, I--" called yet another voice that Silvia knew.

As Superman released her, she spun and expected to feel the warm, empowering green glow of a power ring...but was instead ensnared by a cold chill. It was Hal Jordan but he was wearing the yellow power ring and uniform of the Sinestro Corps.

Green Lanterns utilise willpower, positive energy from the spirit of living things. Sinestro's Yellow Lanterns harness the fear of others to be strong...and suddenly due to Hal's appearance, Silvia felt like hers was being fed upon.

"Oh my god." He snapped.

"Hal... You're Sinestro Corps?" Silvia knew what Sinestro's Corps did, the people they slaughtered in their war against the Green Lanterns. Her Hal made sure she knew... It was the most brutal fight he was ever a part of.

"How is this possible...?" Hal asked Clark, ignoring Silvia.

"She's from an alternate Earth, Hal. She's come back to us." Clark answered, sounding hopeful.

Silvia didn't let the subject go. "You told me once about Sinestro's army. They butchered your friends. Your brothers and sisters...thousands of them. How could you?"

Hal was still so shocked at seeing Silvia alive that he simply stared and stammered.

"What did you need, Hal?" Clark asked aggressively.

Hal, without a second to spare, met Clark's eyes with his. "Sir, I wanted to inform you that Arthur will be arriving soon to discuss the treaties..." His eyes still flicked back to Silvia every now and then.

Clark was silent for several seconds, evidently annoyed by the interruption. "Silvia needs some time to adjust. Excuse us."

Hal didn't even resist, he obeyed Clark like a dog. He walked out of the chamber, sending one glance back at the pair before he left.

Silvia watched him go, her mind swimming with questions that would obviously have to be saved for later. She looked back over at Superman... searching his eyes for any shred of the Clark she knew.

His gaze lowered, staring at something before his eyes flicked back up to meet hers. "You've got all the same scars she had..."

Silvia raised an eyebrow at the man, casting her gaze downwards to look over her own body... then it sunk in. She gasped. "What are you doin-"

"I'm sorry, I had to be sure." Clark suddenly interrupted, looking a little panicked that he had offended her.

"You could have just asked to see them instead of using that x-ray thing... you know, like my Clark would."

"Your Clark?" His voice darkened, sharp as a needle as he spat out the words. A shadow lingered over his face that even his blue eyes couldn't shine through.

Silvia shivered. "Y-Yes... The one from my universe."

The atmosphere changed from uncomfortable to petrifying in an instant. Silvia didn't even know how to describe the expression on Clark's face... It was like someone had twisted every last ounce of kindness out of him and replaced it with anger. Still, he said nothing of the issue.

"H-He must be... really worried about me." Silvia gulped. "I should probably get h-home."

"Don't worry about him." Clark replied almost forcefully. "He doesn't matter anymore. You're here with me, and that's how it's going to stay."

"B-But I..." Silvia tried to argue but before she could the door bursted open once more.

This time someone she instantly recognised as Aquaman appeared, despite her never having had a conversation with the man.

"Kal-El, I'm here to discuss the treaties." He said, trident gripped tightly in his tight hand.

"Kal-El?..." Silvia muttered. Was that the name he went by now?

Clark shot an irritated look in the man's direction. "There's been a change of plans, we'll have to reschedule."

Silvia saw the opportunity to leave, to soak up all this new information that was making her head pound. "Don't do that on my account... I think I need to lay down anyway."

Clark's disappointment was apparent. He'd just gotten her back... He wanted to look at her, memorise her every feature, listen to her voice and embed it in his mind so he could never be without it again. He wanted to refuse her request, to make her stay... but knew that if he didn't let her rest she'd never make sense of his world.

Clark nodded towards the door with a growl. "Hal's out there. Tell him I want you taken to my room."

Silvia agreed despite her hesitancy to stay in his room. She wasn't about to start a fight with him, not yet. Silvia left as fast as she could, slamming the door shut behind her and pressing her back against it. She was overwhelmed... What kind of horrible, fucked-up place was this?


	36. Thirty-Six

**_Chapter Thirty-Six: Terminated_**

Silvia was so uncomfortable that she was suddenly painfully aware of herself; the orange jumpsuit itching against her skin along with the rash it was probably going to leave, the air cooling on the empty places her guns were usually sitting, and the tightness of Clark's arms that she could still feel lingering around her

The Fortress was darker than she remembered and much more eerie. She pushed off of the door and sauntered through the hall, automatically on edge. She thought this feeling would change when she saw Hal but it only increased at the realisation that he was no longer green.

"H-Hey." Silvia mumbled. "Clark said that he wants me taken to h-his room..."

The Yellow Lantern stared at her for a few more seconds as if he was searching for something to prove that it wasn't really her. "I can't believe it's you."

Silvia wasn't sure how to reply. Her and Hal had become very close after their outing to the bowling alley, they would hang out together whenever they could. Silvia would even consider him a close friend... and that's why it was so saddening to see him change along with Clark.

It didn't take long for Hal to sense that she was feeling anxious at all the sudden changes. Silvia was expecting him to make a joke, but instead he simply sighed and motioned for her to follow him.

Their footsteps echoed hollowly from wall to wall, grabbing the attention of anyone they passed by. She assumed that everyone within the Fortress were siding with Superman... and that place was full of villains and heroes alike.

Everyone she spotted looked visibly older than she remembered, and so different that she struggled to recognise some of them. First she passed Catwoman, Killer Frost and Raven. Then Bane and Black Adam. Sinestro was next and this one disturbed Silvia most because Hal matched his yellow glow perfectly.

Soldiers marched through the halls, checking their weapons and planning their patrols, Hawkgirl flew above them and Solomon Grundy marched dumbly behind. Most surprising was Flash, who discreetly pressed a finger to his lips to silence her, but Silvia had no urge to speak until she saw Wonder Woman stride by her.

"Diana...?" Silvia said, disappointment apparent in her tone. "There's no way she'd be okay with this..."

Not her too... Not Wonder Woman. Silvia had so much respect for that woman, maybe even too much. She aspired to be like her, Diana was her inspiration, and now even she was corrupt. Silvia felt ill. Everything she thought she knew was crashing before her eyes and burning to ashes.

Hal glanced over his shoulder but decided not to speak on the matter... He knew Silvia would find out soon enough and he didn't want to be the one to tell her.

The hallway narrowed and two locked doors stood out against the metal and ice. They were made of wood, as if they had been pulled from someones home and placed there. "What's in there?" Silvia asked curiously, running her fingers along one of the chipped doors.

"I don't know." Hal stated simply. "No one's allowed in there. Kal-el forbids it."

"Kal-el..." Silvia muttered. "Have you always called him that?... I mean, in this world, was he ever Clark?"

"It doesn't matter. He goes by Kal-el now, that's all you need to know."

Silvia started following him again, letting her hand fall away from the door. "If I'm going to be here for a while I think I need to know a lot more than that... Starting with the question you avoided before. Hal, why are you Sinestro corps? You use to tell me that yellow was the colour of cowardice..."

"I came to the realisation that fear is more effective than willpower." He said as if the answer were obvious. "Just look at Superman, fear has lowered the crime rate to almost zero and gotten him a plethora of followers."

Silvia's eyes lowered sadly. "Fear gets you followers... but not loyalty."

Silence erupted between the two of them. Hal kept his gaze straight ahead but was visibly tensing. Silvia just looked blank and maybe that was because her mind was working in overdrive.

"We're here." Hal's voice brought her back to the present but she wished that it hadn't. It only reminded her of the situation she was in.

They were standing in front of a massive door, possibly one of the biggest in the Fortress. It had Superman's 'S' symbol carved onto its surface.

"Thanks..." She replied quietly, chewing on her bottom lip and forcing herself to look back up at Hal. "Look, I'm sorry. I wouldn't like someone poking around in my life either, but in my world you were one of my closest friends... One of my only friends. I don't know what our relationship was like in this universe but it bothers me that you've given up on everything you believed in so easily."

"Beliefs change. You of all people should know that." Hal said sternly, though she thought she heard a waver in his voice that suggested otherwise. "You may look like her but you'll never be Silvia. She'd understand why we had to do this."

"Are you sure?" She replied with uncertainty. "If you and Clark accepted me before all of this then I must have changed from the person that would have agreed to who I am now. I can't imagine that the person that Clark once loved would understand any of this..."

Hal's face scrunched up but he said nothing. Maybe he had thought the exact same thing before...

Silvia sighed. "Still, it sounds like you were close to her... umm me?... Other Silvia? Damn, dude. This whole other universe shit is fucking confusing."

Something twitched onto Hal's face... It resembled a smile but with none of the positive vibes the Hal she knew would set off. She'd take what she could get though, at least he hadn't forgotten how to smile...

"You definitely act like her, for what it's worth." Hal said, his tone a little lighter than it had been since she arrived. "Close is a bit of an understatement though. We met before her and Clark started dating and... we got to know one another fairly quickly."

It took Silvia a few seconds to understand what he was trying to say. Her eyes widened. "Wait, what? We dated?"

Hal looked amused by the idea and it was the first time she could truly see that it was him. "No, nothing like that. Call it 'friends with benefits' if you like, but we stayed close even after that stopped."

"Oh..." Silvia shifted under his gaze. "That never happened in my world... Thank God."

Hal looked like he might chuckle but the sound never found air. "Your loss."

Before Silvia could reply a solemn look glazed Hal's face once more. For a moment he had forgotten that she wasn't his Silvia, the one from his world. She was someone completely different. She knew a different Hal, a different Barry... a different Kal-el - hopefully a better one.

The sigh that came was a signal, not of his resolve leaving but of the level his tension had reached. Silvia sensed it and decided it best to give him time to register everything... She certainly needed to. "Alright... well, I guess I'll see you around." She said, stepping over to the door and pushing open the heavy metal.

Hal nodded and quickly started back down the hall without so much as a wave.

Silvia's posture slumped as she entered the room. It was massive... but empty. There was a large king-sized bed draped with thin, satin blankets. Silvia scoffed. Clark wouldn't need anything too thick, he doesn't feel the cold.

The sound of her own footsteps punctured the air and echoed off the walls as she sauntered toward the wardrobe. The rest of the place was so barren that she half expected him to have no clothes hanging up. She wasn't entirely wrong. There were a few more costumes hanging up but they were all identical to the one he was wearing... He obviously didn't dress casually anymore - he no longer had a secret identity.

The thought saddened her and so she quickly shut the wardrobe again. On the other side of the room was a small side table with a few draws. She opened the first one and her chest tightened at what she saw. The old uniform he wore... the one her Clark still used.

She reached in and wrapped her fingers around the familiar fabric. It unfolded the moment it was pulled out of the draw, the legs skimming across the floor. Just by looking at it you could tell how incredibly large and tall the wearer would be. Her eyes glazed over the 'S'. It was a different design to the one this 'Kal-el was wearing... and she preferred it. This was once a symbol of hope and now it only provoked fear in the hearts of anyone who saw it.

She couldn't bare to look at it anymore. The reality of this universe was far too gruesome. She tucked it back away with more care than it had been shown in years and hesitantly opened the draw beneath it.

There was only one thing there, a small photo that had been ripped down the middle. The other half of the photo was nowhere to be seen but this one held a woman within it, frozen in time.

At first she didn't recognise herself, between the clothes and the smile she was sure it would have to be someone else. She lifted it from its place and took a closer look. It was definitely her...or the Silvia from that world.

Silvia turned her nose up. What in the hell was she wearing? It was a summer dress, one with stupid, girly little flowers on it. Silvia's hair was longer, so she was probably a few years older. Smallville could be spotted in the distance behind her, and the Kents farm just on the left with a waving Martha. There was an arm wrapped securely around her waist and though she knew that it was Clark, his part of the photo had been torn away.

This photo was falling apart, the colour had faded so severely that she couldn't tell if the sky was blue or grey. It was apparent that Clark looked at this a lot. Silvia sighed and put it back where she found it. Guilt set inside of her... She shouldn't have been snooping around but her curiosity always did get the better of her.

"New prisoner being transferred into the holding cells, acknowledge." A voice reached her ears. It was muffled and staticky, Silvia could tell it was being received by an ear piece.

"Acknowledged." The guard outside her door said firmly.

In an instant that damned curiosity arose again. Everyone in this world had changed... who could they possibly have arrested? It could possibly be someone she didn't know, but they'd have to be fairly important to be kept in the Fortress and not Stryker's Island.

Silvia tiptoed over to the door and opened it only enough to peak outside. The guard had a machine gun and a knife strapped to his leg.

"Excuse me..." Silvia spoke up after assessing him. "I'm just going to go for a walk around the Fortress."

"Oh, uh..." The guard jumped slightly at the sudden sound of her voice. "I'm not suppose to let you leave. Councillors orders."

"Is that right?" She said, tone drifting off in deep thought. "I'm sure you can make an exception for me."

The guard almost looked scared at the idea. "N-No! The councillor he'll..." the man gulped. "I'm sorry, I can't. Not without his permission."

She grimaced. "Okay, I understand."

The guard gave a relieved exhale that quickly turned to a grunt when Silvia knocked him over the head. His body crumpled to the floor and she quickly took the knife from its holder.

"Sorry, man." She shrugged before darting away.

She kept close to the wall to avoid anyone that may pass by... but the Fortress was suddenly a lot emptier than before.

"Ma'am, you can't be here." The guard in front of the prison entrance barked.

"You wanna make me leave?" Silvia threatened. The soldier nervously stepped to the side without a sound, obviously thinking about what Superman would do if he laid a hand on her.

"Yeah. Thought so."

With that Silvia entered the wing, and saw that her old cell was now occupied by a man, who was sitting calmly on the side of the bed.

"Wasn't expecting any visitors. I'm touched." His low raspy voice quipped.

He had flat white hair, a matching goatee and was missing an eye.

"...Who are you...?" Silvia pressed.

"Someone who doesn't co-operate. That's why I'm here. But I'm sure you know how things work."

"You know who I am?" Silvia leant onto the wall opposite the cell window.

The man smirked. "Who doesn't? I also know that you're supposed to be dead."

"I'm not from around here."

"I gathered. What do you want?"

"Answers. Like what the hell is going on?" Silvia barked, pushing to her feet.

"Hmpf. Peace, apparently. Anyone who doesn't throw in with your boyfriend ends up dead."

"He's not my boyfriend, asshole."

The man laughed, pleased by Silvia's annoyance. "Son of a bitch lost it when you died. I've been trying to kill these idiots for years and what do I have to show for it? Nothing. They ending up killing each other."

The man stood, and moved over to a mirror where he inspected the growth of his facial hair. "Captain Atom, Green Arrow, Guy Gardner, Jason Blood, Huntress, Hawkman...even the Bat's little brat Nightwing couldn't stay alive."

Silvia's breath hitched. Dick was... dead? The news hurt more than anything she'd heard so far. She only had a few people she'd consider friends excluding Clark; Hal, Kori, Billy (despite the fact that he was just a young boy), and Dick... but he was special. She had a section of her heart cut out for him and she could feel it dying, plaguing the entire organ.

Grief surged with every expelled breath, always reaching higher peaks, never sufficiently soothed by her long intakes of the damp cold air. Tears began to spill from her helpless eyes but she aggressively wiped them away.

"...Nightwing... Who killed him...?" She growled. The old man turned to Silvia, a weak smile plastered upon his face.

"Pretty funny actually. I've been on his tail since he was a teenager...and in the end it was Batman's own son that finished him. Damian Wayne. I'd be laughing if everything else wasn't so messed up."

"Damian Wayne..." She spat the name like it was poison on her lips. "Where is he?"

Silvia wasn't sure whether the man was going to answer her or not, and she never would. Soon she could hear footsteps approaching the room, and with one final glance at the older man, she rushed into one of the vacant holding cells. She slipped under the bed and waited.

The only noises that followed were the opening of the barred cell door and their shoes against concrete as they escorted the prisoner out. Silvia waited until her ears had to strain to hear them before following their trail.

This world only seemed to give her more questions other than answers, and so she'd have to find her own ways to make sense of things. Starting with where they were taking the prisoner. She was still in the midst of her grief over Nightwing, but whenever it arose she would push it aside. Now was not the time to break down... Dick would have laughed at her if she did.

"So, you finally caught me." The man said as Silvia was still making her way towards his voice.

"You didn't make it easy." Clark's voice followed.

"Wouldn't be a very good assassin if I did."

"I'm sure that'll be a great comfort once this is over." Clark's voice sounded almost mocking but Silvia didn't know why. It made her walk faster to her destination.

"I didn't think you still made jokes, Supes. Thought you got all bitter when your squeeze bought it."

A growl followed and it was so loud that even without enhanced hearing Silvia would have heard it. "Don't you dare talk about her!"

"Even after five years it's still fresh? You've always been weak of mind but this is just hilarious."

Silvia finally made it to a point where she could view what was happening. Superman's followers were all standing around the old man who was sat on his knees, hands cuffed behind his back.

The look on Clark's... or Kal-el's face was terrifying. She had never seen him so furious. She didn't even know he could make such a kind face look so horrifying.

"Slade Wilson." Superman hissed. His restraint was wearing thin. "I was willing to ignore your crimes, but since you started working for Batman I can no longer do that."

Slade? Why did that name sound so familiar? Silvia's eyes widened. Slade... that was Deathstroke's real name.

"It was a one time thing, I was bored. Plus, he pays good." Wilson chuckled.

Wonder Woman then spoke up. "Silence. Or I will have your tongue."

"Diana...it's okay." Clark said quietly to her.

Wilson coughed at the ground, and brought his eyes back up to Clark's. "Good going. You've finally gotten another one. One that fights too. About time, maybe she won't die as easily."

In that instant, Silvia saw all of the restraint drain from Clark's face.

Wilson continued though." I lost a wife and son too, you know. You don't see me crying about it. Well, granted...I didn't kill them though." He quipped with a snide grin. "I saw your new toy, by the way, try not to kill her too."

Superman's eyes lit up like two red suns as he yelled "Enough!!" with such force that the entire room shook and reverberated from the sheer volume.

In several seconds, Silvia caught the sight of smoke swirling above Wilson's kneeling body. Then she heard crackling...then his screaming.

She had barely realised what was happening when Clark wrenched a hand around Wilson's neck and held him up off his feet. His eyes were still burning red...cooking the flesh of the man within his grasp.

His other hand shot forward like a javelin, piercing Wilson's chest and erupting through the other side, covered in blood and entrails. It filled the room with cracking and squelching.

The man's body dropped but the muscles around his eyes still twitches with life. He wasn't dead yet... he would die slowly.

Silvia felt a gasp try to wriggle out of her throat and quickly covered her mouth to silence it. This did little good because seconds later the guard that she had previously rendered unconscious sneaked up behind her and pushed her through the doors unexpectedly.

"Sir, Miss Stone has escaped..." He said with a shake in his voice.

Superman instantly turned, anger in his eyes never fading. "What?!" His eyes faded from red to blue again as he glanced down at the girl crawling her way to Slade's tremoring body.

"Wh... What have you d-done?" She forced out, body quaking and mind refusing to accept what she had just witnessed. "You... Oh, God..."

"Silvia... I'm sorry you had to see that." Superman spoke without a hint of remorse for his actions, though regret that she seemed so frightened by the whole ordeal. "I had hoped to spare you the gory details."

Blood was pooling from Slade's mouth now, he would either drown in his own fluids or from the loss of it. Silvia frantically searched around for something to help before her eyes landed on someone familiar. "Cyborg!" She cried in a panic. "You can help him right?"

He huffed in response and turned his stare elsewhere. He had never been fond of the girl and he wasn't about to start doing her favours... especially not if that meant going against Superman.

His silence was answer enough and Silvia felt her face contort in absolute disgust. "And you called me a murderer... You're no better."

"He's just following orders." Kal-el knelt at her side, brow furrowed. Seeing her do distressed after just getting her back hurt him deeply. "Silvia... You're the one that use to think that this was the only way to keep people safe, and you were right. I know that I made you believe in some fairytale about second chances but I'm sure in time you'll come to understand what I'm doing here."

He went to touch her shoulder but she scampered away as if burned by hot lava. She looked at him in a way that broke his heart all over again. She was afraid of him.

Superman's expression turned cold to bury the hurt he was feeling and he nodded to the guard.

"Come on, I'll take you back to the councillors room." The guard said, nudging her up by the arm.

She yanked herself out of his grip with a growl. "I can take myself back, I'm not a fucking child."

The guard jumped back, not accustomed to her harshness. "Th-That's not it, ma'am. I just have to be sure you don't run off again..."

The blonde shot the man a spiteful look before turning back to Slade's body. He still wasn't dead, but it wouldn't be long now. She always wanted to see him like this, and some part of her always thought she'd enjoy the view even after Clark had changed her. She was wrong.

The girl laid her hand on either side of Slade's head and an inch off of the ground. With one loud 'crack' Silvia had broken the man's neck and ended his suffering.

She stood, covered in blood and lips trembling. She didn't want to stay in Kal-el's room... he wasn't the man that she once knew. Her word meant nothing here though and so she silently followed the guard out. She felt Superman's eyes on her as she left and it gave her none of the warmth she would usually receive. It only made her uncomfortable, and terrified of a world where Superman was the enemy.


	37. Thirty-Seven

**_Chapter Thirty-Seven: Time Left Forgotten_**

Silvia had fallen asleep in the bathtub after a long while of sleeplessness. She had stayed up, images flashing constantly in her head and refusing to give her peace. In the midst of her horror it was like her body shut down from the exhaustion it brought. That was probably the only reason she was able to sleep.

She hadn't wanted to lay in Superman's bed. She didn't want to be anywhere near the man, and so she had turned to the bath as her accommodation for the night.

Sometime during the night she felt her body being shifted into familiar arms. In her gaze she had cuddled closer to the warmth as if the whole ordeal had just been a bad dream.

"Clark..." She mumbled groggily, hands gliding over the textured symbol on his chest.

"It's alright, I'm here now." She heard his voice answer, his arms tightening around her.

Soon she was placed onto a surface much more comfortable than the previous one. The mattress was soft and she sunk right into it. Soon she was lost in deep sleep once more with a large hand being stroked through her hair.

The morning light shining on her face was what woke her up completely. It was nothing compared to the sun in her Metropolis but it was still annoying enough for her to groan in irritation.

She opened her eyes into slits, letting them against to the light. When they did she saw a figure sitting beside the bed and jumped up in shock. Superman was staring at her, and it wasn't her Superman either. It hadn't been just a terrible nightmare... It was real.

"H-How long have you been there?!" She said anxiously.

"All night." The man answered in a monotone. "I was afraid you'd disappear if I looked away."

Silvia wasn't sure if to be creeped out or feel sorry for him. Ultimately, her mind decided on both. She pulled the sheets higher up on her body but her eyes held sympathy, she would probably be the same way if she ever lost him.

Silvia wanted to remind him that this wasn't her universe, that she had another Superman waiting for her but before she could even open her mouth the door swung open. Diana stood in the doorway, a long dress hanging off her broad figure. The straps were hanging off her shoulders to show off her immense cleavage and there was a slit up the right leg.

"Kal-el, the meeting's about to start." Diana said, completely ignoring Silvia's presence. "We should meet in the war room before they arrive."

Her voice turned slightly sultry and Silvia didn't need any explanation. Superman didn't even give Diana a glance. He just waved her out. "Not today. I'll see you at the meeting."

Diana was too proud to show it but Silvia could tell that she was hurt. Her eyes skimmed over to the blonde with a somewhat spiteful glare before she left without another word.

Superman's hand hovered over Silvia's cheek tenderly. "I must go and sort a few things out. I won't leave you alone for too long and I won't be far away." His words sounded as if he was trying to comfort himself more than her. He was trying to convince himself that she was safe as long as she stayed close.

"Okay..." She said in an unsure voice. "Can I leave for a little while? I'd like to see more of Metropolis..."

Superman went quiet for a moment. It was apparent that he wasn't going to let her leave. "I'll take you as soon as I can. Just stay here for now... I can't lose you again."

"Clark... I m-mean Kal-el." The use of his Kryptonian name made him flinch. "You're treating me like a prisoner. You of all people should know that I don't do well in a cage..."

"If that cage keeps you safe then that's all I care about." Superman twirled a strand of her hair gently around his finger. He leaned forward to kiss her but she instinctually pulled away. The man's expression fell but he still managed to brush his lips against her cheek. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Don't rush." Silvia said, avoiding his gaze entirely. "I'd hate to deprive Diana of your company."

Superman tensed. "Diana and I... It's nothing."

"I don't think she sees it that way. She seems to really care about you."

"Diana knew what this was from the beginning." He said heartlessly. "She knew I could never love her."

Silvia bit her lip. "That's awful..."

She had been relieved to hear that he had moved on, but apparently Diana was just a place holder. Not only that but she was so blinded by her feelings for him that Diana was encouraging this destructive change in the man.

Superman's expression was unreadable. "We don't need to discuss this any further. Whatever we had ended the moment you returned to me."

"But Kal-el I-"

"I have to go." This time she could hear the regret in his voice. "What I'm doing here will ensure your safety. Just wait for me a little longer."

With that he was gone and Silvia was left alone, trapped in an invisible prison. If she wasn't allowed to leave the Fortress... maybe she could look around. Not that she cared if she couldn't. Silvia wasn't in the practice of taking orders.

The girl scrambled off of the bed, not bothering to get changed before scavenging through the room. There wasn't much left to discover, but in one of the draws she hadn't checked yet there was a set of keys. They were old and rusty. They didn't belong in the Fortress... much like the two doors she had passed by.

Curiosity blazed in her silvery eyes. She quickly grabbed the keys and rushed out only to find that there was no guard on duty yet. They probably realised that she would get through them too easily to bother.

The hall was practically deserted. Anyone up this early was likely attending the meeting. It was far too easy to reach the two wooden doors in the middle of the Fortress. She randomly selected one, or more specifically, the door that was dented with chipped brown varnish and a brass colored lock.

The key closest to her fit into the lock perfectly and clicked when she turned it. With a nervous buzz bursting through her body she pushed it open to reveal... another room. At first glance she was confused. Why would Kal-el seal off some stupid bedroom?

Then she looked again. It didn't fit in with the rest of the hideout. It looked like a room from a small house. There was a mattress just as large as Kal-el's in the middle, two sets of draws, a cupboard and photos littering the walls. From the doorway she found it difficult to see what the framed photographs were of, but when she stepped in closer she wished she'd never opened the door in the first place.

They were pictures of her and Clark together. One was of Silvia making a ridiculous face and Clark staring at her oddly, another was in front of the daily planet (Clark was dressed in the usual large coat and thick glasses). Many were of them around the 'old' Metropolis but others were taken at different locations all around the world; China, Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, France, Africa, Egypt, Australia, England, Italy. Anywhere and everywhere.

As much as she tried to hold it in, the pain came out like an uproar from her throat in the form of a silent sob. He looked so much like her Clark in those shots that it not only made her miss him more, but it surfaced fear that this would happen to them as well.

Silvia shuffled over to the cupboard, hands shaking as she pulled it open. It was full of clothes around her size, as if Kal-el hadn't touched them since her death. They didn't look anything like what she'd wear now. They were too... colourful, and anything that was a bit duller was maternity clothes.

Her shoulders heaved with emotion and her hands clenched into shaking fists in a desperate battle against the sorrow that hit her. Still, she refused to cry over something that didn't involve her. It may have been another version of her child, but it wasn't hers. There was nothing to cry about... or so she told herself.

Ignoring her own heartbreak became impossible when she entered the second room. It was for a baby... all done up and waiting for their child. The crib was small but beautiful all the same. It had blue blankets neatly made up and a teddy bear of a similar shade sitting beside the pillow. There was another photo in here but in it Silvia was visibly pregnant and Clark's hands were placed delicately on her stomach.

The room was painted deep aqua with animals traced onto each wall. Toys sat unused and covered in dust and the changing table was the same. Brick by brick, Silvia's walls came tumbling down. the tears in her eyes turned the rainy day into a whirlwind of grays and yellows. She sprinted out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She couldn't look at it anymore.

It was at this time that she missed Clark most. He would've put his arms around her and kissed her until the horrible truth of that world faded at least a little. This only upset her more.

Her eyes were burning and her chest felt heavy as if it were filled with lead. She could no longer see clearly as she raced back to Kal-el's room. She had never wanted kids. Silvia was certain that she'd be a terrible mother. She had no instinct for it because she herself had never had anyone to learn from... but knowing that a version of her and Clark, any version, had lost their son brought fresh pain whirling in her chest.

Her red, tear-rimmed eyes stared at the entrance to Kal-el's bedroom, with watery streaks falling down her face. Silvia smoothed her now chaotic hair and wiped the tears from her cheeks which were now blotchy and mottled. Her whole face was washed with a dull pink, including the very end of her nose.

She was just starting to control her quivering shoulders when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around, mouth open to utter the man's name before they smacked a hand over her mouth to silence them. Barry walked her into the room, shutting the door behind him and taking a gadget out of his pocket. He pressed a small, green button and they were enveloped in some kind of force field.

"Now you can talk." He said, calmly tucking the contraption away. "Sorry, Superman would have heard us otherwise."

"But he can't now...?" Silvia asked somewhat afraid.

"No, Bruce made this. It cancels out any noise from the inside." He tapped on the dome surrounding them and a resounding 'ting' filled the air. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions and I'm sorry I couldn't answer them before. We don't have much time but I'll tell you whatever I can."

Though she was relieved to finally get a few more answers, her voice came out trembling. After what she'd seen she was afraid of what she might learn. "Let's start with why you brought me here then... What's the plan? How in the hell am I suppose to fix all this?"

"Well, if I'm being honest, Bruce outright protested to bringing you here. I'm not sure how it is in your world but in this one you and Bruce never really saw eye to eye."

"Yeah, it was the same where I'm from..."

Barry looked a little amused by the thought that they hated each other in multiple universes. "Then you can probably understand why he didn't want you here. Bruce's original plan was to send over the Superman from your world, have him fight ours, and hopefully bring him to justice."

"I'm glad you didn't... Clark's going through enough right now." Silvia shook the memory of Jonathan's funeral out of her head. "But why me?"

"I still remember how Clark was before all this. He was my friend. He saved this planet more times than all of us combined. I guess I still hope that he's still in there somewhere, and if anyone can bring it out of him it's you."

"... I'm sorry, I really do want to help him but I'm not sure how I'm suppose to convince him that he's wrong."

Barry shrugged. "He changed you once, remember? I'm sure that you can have the same effect on him... You'll have to, otherwise there'll be nothing to stop Bruce from bringing your Superman here."

Silvia gulped. The stakes were already too high for her liking. "Alright... I'll try. If I'm going to do this though I need to know everything that happened five years ago. I need to know what happened to Clark... and to me."

Barry flashed her a saddened look. The story was a hard one to tell but she was right. She had to know what happened if she was going to stay there...


	38. Thirty-Eight

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Echoes of the Past**

*5 Years Earlier*

Clark was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but super hearing surpassed all of that once. This was the night that he heard the single greatest sound he'd ever known.

Clark's blue eyes snapped open, the sheets shifting around him as he sat up in his bed. The apartment around him hadn't changed but the woman sleeping next to him stirred at the sudden movement. She turned around, eyes groggily meeting his gaze.

"What is it, Dorothy?" She murmured tiredly. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Silvia's voice found air but it was merely white noise to Clark who was still concentrating on the sound that had awoken him. The sound of two heartbeats coming from one person.

His stare broke and in little to no time at all he had jumped out of bed and started pacing around the room. Silvia watched him in absolute confusion.

"We need to get everything checked thoroughly. I'll contact Star Labs. There are people there I trust to be discreet." Clark mumbled but it was uncertain whether he was talking to Silvia or himself.

"Dorothy...?" Silvia rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes to see the pondering man more clearly.

"There shouldn't be any danger in the first trimester but I'm not going to leave it to chance. We'll need a bigger place, obviously."

"What are you talking about?"

He paused, one hand reaching under his chin as if he were still in deep thought. "Maybe we should also consider moving away from Metropolis, Smallville would be a much safer and more private place to raise a child... Though I'd prefer the Metropolis High school to-"

A book flew across the room and whacked across his head with a mean 'thwack'. It didn't hurt him, of course, but he knew that it had happened. This pulled him out of his own mind long enough to glance over at Silvia.

He picked up the book and blinked. "Did you just throw this at me?"

"You're invulnerable. I should be able to throw satisfyingly hard objects at you sometimes." Silvia joked though her body language said different. She got out of bed as well and crossed her arms over her chest. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

"You... don't know?"

"If I did I'm sure your little outburst would've made sense." Silvia sighed.

Clark's mouth stretched into a grin but it was unlike any she had seen before. He looked overjoyed, proud, and amazed all at once. Even his eyes had glazed over with tears from pure happiness. "Sil... I..." He couldn't find the words. They were stuck in his throat like oxygen in a blocked airway. "You're..."

"I'm what?" Silvia tried to push for an answer, hip sticking out and finger tapping against her own arm impatiently.

Clark moved towards her, taking her small shoulders in his hands. "You're amazing." He answered, unsure how to tell her about what he had heard. "And..."

His gaze fell to her flat stomach, one of his hands letting go of her to graze against it lovingly. Silvia was clueless for all but two seconds before it dawned on her.

Silvia felt the panic begin like a cluster of lightening in her abdomen. Tension grew in her face and limbs, her mind replaying the same word over and over again; 'pregnant'. Her breathing became more rapid, more shallow. her heart was hammering painfully against her ribs. The room began to spin and she squatted on the floor, trying to make everything slow to something her brain and body could cope with. She felt so sick.

Clark knelt down beside her, his joy replaced with worry. "Sil, are you alright?"

"A-A baby?... I can't... I never wanted kids, I'd be an a-awful mother. I'd r-ruin its l-life." She heaved each word out through her breathlessness.

Clark's arms wrapped around the girl and he pulled her into his chest. "It's up to you, Sil. I think you'd be a great mother though, and I'll be right beside you the entire time."

His touch always had a strange effect on her. It calmed her down, allowed her mind to think straight again. Silvia shivered but managed to meet his gaze. They had been together quite a while now... Seven years to be exact. He was 35 and she was 31, maybe she had grown enough as a person to hope for a family with the man she loved.

"W-Well... you did just work out a high school plan for a fetus... I'd hate to waste it." She laughed but it came out trembling and nervous.

Clark's face lit up once more and his grip around her tightened. He always thought that he could never love her any more than he already did, but she proved that wrong with every passing day. On this particular night he had felt such adoration for her that he thought his heart might stop beating altogether.

Silvia carried his child within her. Never had he been so proud of her, or so in awe of her capabilities both as a woman and as an individual.

Months passed in the blink of an eye and suddenly Silvia was five months pregnant. Her stomach had visibly swelled and the baby was starting to move every now and then. By night Clark would watch his child growing and developing within Silvia's womb. He liked to guess who their baby would look like. Would they have their mother's eyes, her smile? Would they have his hair? He wouldn't know for a while, but one thing he did discover was that they were having a boy.

He spent most of the next day doing up a temporary room for their son. He was planning on moving them to a farm in Smallville but they'd have to spend at least another year in Metropolis while he saved. When Silvia had come home from work there was a nursery in their spare bedroom filled with different shades of blue. That's how she discovered they were having a boy.

"So... I was thinking about names." Silvia said a few days later at the dinner table. "And I think I got a good one picked out."

Clark crunched into a piece of bacon, smirking between chews. "Oh really? Shouldn't the father have a say in-"

"Jonathan Mason Kent."

Clark gulped down his food a little too early. If he was anyone else he would have choked. He stared at her unblinkingly, surprised and touched at the same time. "Sil... You should put Mason's name first, your family is just as important as mine. Mason Jonathan Kent sounds just as good."

"Nope, I've already decided. Besides, I can call him Jon for short and that was my grandfather's name." Silvia smiled, placing her hand on top of his. "So, do you like it?"

Clark chuckled, turning his hand to entwine his fingers with hers. "I love it... Thank you, Sil."

It didn't seem like anything could wipe the smile off his face... not anything but Silvia's message tone blaring loudly in her pocket.

The blonde jumped and scrambled for her mobile, bringing it up to her line of sight. She chewed on her bottom lip. "There's a new case, I have to go."

"I really don't like that you're still doing this..." Clark sighed. "I worry about you."

"I don't remember you being so protective before I was pregnant." Silvia teased.

"I was, you just never stopped finding trouble."

"Come on, we made a deal." Silvia took her handbag from the counter. "I would try and ignore fighting crime while I'm pregnant if I could keep my job as a private detective."

"I know but-"

"I'm not going to sit on the couch getting bigger while you're out there doing all the hard work. It's not who I am."

Clark looked like he wanted to argue but suddenly stood from his chair and faced the window.

"Trouble?" Silvia asked.

"I don't know... Maybe."

Silvia stepped closer to him, reaching on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. "Go save the world."

Silvia walked along the cobble stone sidewalk, shuffling the fallen leaves with every step she took. When she reached Echo Alley, she paused. It was just a nickname spawned from the rumour that you could sometimes hear screams echo from other dimensions. It was also the last place a missing girl had been seen. Silvia looked down the stretch of the alley. The flickering street light beside her shattered and she gasped at the sound, clutching onto her stomach protectively.

She was meant to be meeting a new contact here but they were no where in sight. Silvia stepped further into the alley, shadows being cast over her body that was soon replaced with smoke... horrible, off-white smoke. It filled the air quicker than she could comprehend and all at once she felt her body tire. Sleep gas... concentrated to overcome her enhanced durability.

She fell on her back, eyelids forcing themselves closed. The last thing she saw were two blurry faces. One was long and thin, the other round and young, both covered in clown makeup.

Silvia's body was long gone by early morning when Clark finally found the place. All that remained there was Silvia's purse and a card with Joker's resemblance painted onto it.

He could feel the sweat drenching his skin, the throbbing of his own eyes, the ringing and terrified thoughts vibrating in his ears, and the thumping of his heart against his chest. Superman's fingers curled into a fist, nails digging into his palm. He couldn't hear his own rapid breathing, but he could feel the oxygen flooding in and out of his lungs. Fear tortured his guts, churning his stomach in tense cramps. It engulfed his conscience, knocking all other thoughts aside. It overwhelmed his body, making him drastically exhausted.

He looked everywhere but Silvia was out of his sights. In a panic he turned toward S.T.A.R Labs where he knew Bruce was investigating a missing invention.

"I can't see her!" He yelled on his way in, halting just inches away from Batman. "I can't see Silvia!"

"We're not alone here... maybe we should discuss this somewhere more private."

Superman didn't seem to have heard him, and if he did than he didn't care about anyone else in the room. He pulled out the card he had found, teeth gritting together. "He has her."

Any light hitting Batman's face suddenly darkened when he was passed the card.

Superman grabbed him by the arms in a frenzy. "Please, help me find her."

Bruce had never been fond of Silvia, nor her of him, but this wasn't about that. She was an innocent in this case and carrying his close friends child. He nodded, and as Superman flew out, Bruce pressed two fingers to the side of his helmet. "This is a priority call to all Justice League members and reserve members. I need as many eyes, ears and minds as we can spare in Metropolis. A woman is missing."

The first voice to answer the call was Green Arrow. "You want the whole Justice League on a missing person case?"

"Absolutely. We believe she was taken by the joker."

Cyborg was just shooting a blast from his arm gun when he responded. "Who is this woman, Batman?"

"She's one of us... Silvia Stone. Formally known as Reaper."

The channel went silent for a few seconds while they all processed what was happening. Though many of them never fully accepted Silvia, others thought she had more than proven her worth. She's helped them save the world on numerous occasions, risking her life each time.

"Silvia..." Wonder Woman finally muttered.

"Wonder Woman, she was last seen at Echo Alley. Head there and find anything you can."

"I'm on my way."

"Flash." Bruce started.

"One second... and I'm in Metropolis." Barry replied in an instant. "What do you need?"

"Search every inch of Metropolis. Superman is scanning the city from above, so start with everywhere he can't see; Underground facilities, sewers, basements, and anything lined with lead."

"On it." And Flash was already gone.

"If Silvia's missing I'll find a way to get there." Richard's voice appeared on the channel.

"No, I need you to watch over Gotham." Bruce answered sharply, not bothering to ask how he got into the line he was using.

"I'm their child's Godfather... and I can't just sit here while Silvia's missing. I won't let her get hurt."

"Dick, my decision is final." Bruce hissed.

He went quiet for a few moments. "... Fine but Starfire's already on her way. She's the Godmother so I doubt you'll be able to convince her otherwise... Bruce, get Silvia back safely."

Batman sighed when he heard Richard pull his ear piece off. "Everyone else, report in as soon as you reach Metropolis. Share anything you-"

"You have to see something." Flash's voice got to Bruce faster than his body... but only just.

"Show me."

Flash rushed Batman to a small laboratory full of stolen S.T.A.R Labs tech. "I figure this could be related."

Batman's eyes flicked around the room before landing on a body on the opposite end, wearing a sack over its face. "It's Crane..." He said to himself, stepping over to pull the mask off of the corpses head. "The scarecrow."

The man's face was stretched into an eerie smile. He died laughing.

"Laugh gas?" Barry questioned.

"Looks like it, and someone's taken his fear toxin as well. Must have been the Joker."

At that moment Wonder Woman's voice rang in Batman's ear. "I followed a trail to the docks. We got lucky, as soon as I showed up someone ran."

"And?"

Wonder Woman tightened the lasso of truth around the man and crouched next to him. "Repeat what you just told me."

The man struggled out each word like they were being forced from his throat. "Joker's not in Metropolis. Him and that clown lady hijacked a submarine."

As quickly as the voice had been processed through the ear pieces, Superman was already at the docks and flying over the open ocean, eyes scanning it in a panic. "I see it."

He dived into the chaotic ocean and emerged holding a giant submarine made of lead. He wanted to throw it to the shore but knowing Silvia was inside made him suppress such an urge. He set it down on the sand delicately and ripped a large hole into the side.

He had never run so fast to such a small distance in his life. He smashed through one of the rooms to find both Joker and Harley wearing surgeon clothing and standing over Silvia's unconscious body.

"Silvia?!" He yelled in horror, pushing straight passed the two villains to undo her restraints and not noticing the green smoke whirling around the room. "What did they do to-"

The smoke around him thickened and he felt his airways begin to seal.

"Something wrong, Supes?" Joker laughed maniacally.

"Yeah, for a man of steel, you look kinda wobbly." Harley added with a resounding giggle.

Superman felt his mind break and his vision blur. When he could finally view the world around him again he was in a trance... hallucinating. He looked up with a raspy gasp. "No... Doomsday..."

A giant monster stood in his view. It was twice his height and weight with sharp bone sticking out on the outside like armour.

"Silvia... The baby..." His mind was working in overdrive. He had to get Doomsday away from his family before he could deal with the clowns. Anger built up in his very being, pumping through his veins and burning them like lava. He pushed off of the ground without any hesitation and flew toward Doomsday. "Stay away from them!"

He hoisted the monster over his shoulder and took off straight into the sky. The quickest way to defeat Doomsday was to take him into space.

Back in the submarine Joker and Harley jumped out of the massive hole Superman had made.

"Time to go." Joker said, amused tone only coming second to the smile plastered on his face.

"We're just going to leave? But this is the first submarine I've ever owned." Harley pouted.

Joker pulled off his surgeon mask and threw it into the sand. "We'll get you another one."

"I can't just get another one! I've named this one. You can't abandon something once it has a name. Everyone knows that."

She was delaying, walking slower and dragging her feet like a child being refused what they want. Joker growled, the red paint crinkling around his cheeks as he snatched onto her wrist with a vice-like grip. He held it tight enough to bruise. "Harley, any minute now angry do-gooders are going to realize what we're up to. If we're still here when they arrive, they will hit us over and over again. Say goodbye to your damn submarine!"

Joker practically dragged her away but Harley was so use to it that she didn't seem too bothered by the pain around her wrist. "Goodbye, Gunter!" She waved to the submarine before a heavy weight fell on top of them both.

The thing that had dropped on them was a hand... a giant, glowing, green one comprised purely of energy. Hal appeared soon after along with Wonder Woman, holding out his ring to control the hand. "Gunter's a stupid name for a submarine." He quipped.

Batman and Flash arrived seconds later and Joker's laugh lines returned as his lips stretched into a smile. "Batsy!"

Batman didn't respond.

"Wait a minute." Joker continued as the hand disappeared and allowed him to stand. "Did Flash carry you here? HA! Putting fear in the hearts of criminals... While his bright red friend carries him through the night!"

Joker's eyes lit up with glee and his cackle punctuated the docks. Still Batman ignored him and started towards the submarine. He hopped into the hole with but quickly held his hand out to stop Flash from following.

"Wait." He said sternly, bringing a mask up to cover his mouth. "Scarecrow's fear toxin."

The bat continued into each room but when he found nothing he jumped back out with a grimace. "Where is she Joker?"

Wonder Woman hissed. "My lasso of truth will-"

"No." Batman replied, pulling the mask off of his mouth. "Not on him. I'm not sure what would spew out of that mouth of his but it wouldn't be the truth."

Joker flashed his yellowing teeth at the two of them. "Come on, Batsy. Use that pointy-eared head of yours. You can see the truth. You just don't want to look at it too hard."

"What did you do to her?!" Hal finally spat out, voice strained in worry.

"Well, if you must know." Joker grinned, tapping his gloved, blood soaked fingers together. "Batman's already worked it out. I operated on her."

"Flash. The missile on the submarine-" batman started but was quickly interrupted by Harley's high pitched voice.

"His name is Gunter!"

"Check to see if the warhead is still there." He finished with a snarl.

"Don't bother checking. It isn't." Joker said between bursts of low cackling. "When her heart stops, every heart in Metropolis stops too."

"Why would her...?" Batman's voice trailed off then his eyes flashed with horror. "The Kryptonite. Scarecrow added it to his fear toxin so it could enter Superman's blood stream through his lungs." He turned his gaze upward to the small speck in the sky, hand darting up to the ear piece on the side of his mask. "Superman! Can you hear me?"

But it was far too late. Superman was almost out of the atmosphere, snarling and growling. "You won't take them away from me!" Then he was through the ozone and floating in space. Doomsday clawed at his back frantically for at least two minutes before he took him further into space. Doomsday stiffened as if his body was freezing.

"Superman Stop!" Batman said for the fifth time. "Whatever you're seeing... It's not real!"

Superman gasped, Doomsday's body floating a few inches away from him as he grabbed his throbbing head. His vision blurred again and he gave a pained grunt that never made a sound in the vacuum of space.

When his eyes had at last stopped pounding in his skull he looked up. What he saw broke him more than any man has ever been broken.

"It's Silvia!" Batman said but it was of no help now.

And then two heart beats coming from one person... stopped beating.


	39. Thirty-Nine

**_Chapter Thirty-Nine: Son of Wayne_**

"When he returned to Metropolis it was destroyed. All I remember is seeing him in the middle of a crater where the city use to be, holding your body. I won't ever forget the look on his face. I've never seen anyone in so much pain, I don't think I ever will again." Barry gave a heavy exhale and Silvia felt like she could almost see his memories. "I know it's hard but we're running out of time. If there's anything else you want to know ask it now."

Silvia racked her brain but the reality of what she had just heard stung in her chest. A little of the fear she felt for the Superman of this world changed into sympathy. She wanted more answers though so she pushed herself to speak. "Okay... What happened to Dick Grayson?"

Flash fell silent but it wasn't clear if it was because of the grief or if he was afraid to tell her.

"I know that he's dead, Barry, and I know that Damian Wayne killed him. I want to know why, I need to know."

"Well that makes things a little easier then..." He said lowly. "But not much."

"I'm sorry but I can't stay here without knowing... He was important to me."

"I know he was." Barry's shoulders slumped forward, red costume so flexible that it didn't even leave a crease. "And you were to him. I know that there were some of us that never accepted you even when you changed sides; Batman, Cyborg, Raven, Hawkman, Batwoman, even I was guilty of invalidated scepticism. But when you died it didn't just effect Superman."

"It's funny that most of them ended up doing the same things they hated me for... I'm sure Batman and Cyborg didn't shed any tears."

"Cyborg... no. He was respectful enough to keep his mouth shut though. Batman swallowed his pride and attended your funeral but I couldn't tell if he was just doing it for Clark or if he really wanted to be there." Flash shrugged. "Hal and Billy were pretty messed up though. They joined The Regime to honour your memory, Hal even turned to the yellow power core because he thought your death could have been prevented if they'd killed Joker when they had the opportunity."

Guilt swirled in Silvia's stomach sickeningly. She gulped it back down in hopes that the nauseous feeling would leave her. "And Dick?"

"He actively spoke out against Superman's changing ideals. He was just as messed up by your death, probably even more so than Hal, but he dealt with it in a different way. He knew that you wouldn't have wanted any of this." Flash paused for a second, building up the will to speak about Richard's death out loud. "His death... it was a complete accident."

An accident? Silvia couldn't believe it... It couldn't have just been some small insignificant moment. If anything, knowing that he hadn't died in a blaze of glory like he should have made the pain even worse.

"There was a breakout. A whole bunch of us had gone to Arkham to protect the inmates from the more violent among them. Damian was being a little more brutal than the rest of us, and when Dick called him out, Damian started talking about how Superman was right. We shouldn't be defending criminals, we were meant to save the innocent."

"Doesn't sound like Batman's kid."

"They never had a close relationship. There was always a drift between them. Nowadays he says that Superman's more of a father than Bruce ever was. Might be the reason he started following him." Flash looked so hurt with every word. They'd all been torn apart by this. Family and friends all fighting against one another. "Anyway, Dick told him that a Robin never hits a man while he's down and he certainly never kills. To do so would be a disgrace to the uniform. Damian got worked up, mentioned that if they'd killed before then you would still be alive."

Silvia's arms instinctively wrapped around herself. She couldn't imagine what she'd do if someone said that to her about Clark... or Richard for that matter.

"Dick got angry, told him that if we killed we'd be just as bad as the ones we were killing, in less polite words. The last thing I remember is Damian screaming at Dick to stop telling him what to do, to stop acting superior. He threw one of his batons at Dick and it hit him in the temple... hard. He was knocked unconscious, and the next time I turned around he was dead, fallen on a rock and broken his neck..."

"It can't be as simple as that... H-He wouldn't die that easily!"

"His senses weren't what they use to be. To deal with your death he drank more than ever, I don't know what else he was on but whenever I saw him he looked unwell." The man shook the image out of his head. "The fall broke his neck, that could happen to any regular person. I think we forgot a lot of the time that Dick was just human, like Batman he had no special powers. He could die as simply as any other human."

"But... to go that way... because of some kids stupid temper tantrum."

"We've lost a lot of good people to this war. Green Arrow was also killed... and Kori."

Silvia froze, her lungs sucked up air until they felt like they were going to explode. "K-Kori?!"

"Not only had she just lost her best friend, she lost Nightwing as well. She went back to Tamaran and brought a small army to fight against the regime. She died in the chaos."

"G-God... not Kori... please not her." Silvia shivered out. She felt her legs give way beneath her and dropped to her knees. It was all because this damn version of her couldn't stay alive! She had never felt such hatred in her life... and the worst part was it was herself that she hated. "She... She shouldn't have died. N-Not her..."

"I'm sorry, Silvia..." He muttered, leaning down to rub her back. "I know it's a lot to take in but you might be able to stop anyone else from being a casualty of this useless fighting."

"I... I'll try... but I'm doing this for them not for-" She glanced up to speak the next word but Barry was already gone, and so was the dome silencing their conversation.

Seconds later Superman swung the doors to the room open, finding Silvia still kneeling on the floor with tears glistening in her eyes. His expression turned to one of surprise and faster than Silvia could blink the tears away he was at her side.

"What happened?" He said darkly. "Who upset you?"

Silvia shook her head, sniffling and rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. "No one... I'm just not use to this world, that's all. I don't like it. I don't like all of the fighting, or the death."

Kal-el's expression softened, something no one had seen for five years. He pulled her into his chest, running a hand through her hair so delicately and lovingly that she felt her heart swell. "It's alright, the fighting won't go on forever. The ones that don't join me won't be around much longer then we can work on maintaining the peace."

Though Silvia didn't want to argue, not after hearing what he'd gone through, she knew that she had to. The Clark that she loved would have wanted her to. "That's not what I want..." She said quietly. He killed people that fought against him or disagreed, but she knew he wouldn't lay a finger on her. "Kal-el, what you're doing... It's not peace. No one's free to make their own decisions or think their own thoughts. I know that you think you're doing the right thing but you're only creating more fear."

His muscles twitched around her. She could tell he was fighting back anger. "You're just upset. In time you'll understand-"

"No, I won't. I don't agree with any of this. I never will." Silvia felt the man shift and his jaw clench. "My Clark still believes in second chances. That everyone is worth saving... and so do I."

Superman's hands grasped her shoulders tightly. The fact that they hadn't been crushed under his grip proved that he was still trying to hold back but Silvia could feel his hands pinching her skin.

"He's not your Clark anymore!" He sneered, eyes blazing in fury. "You're here. You're mine. I'm your Clark now."

"No... you're Kal-el."

"Stop calling me that!" His shout echoed through the room so loudly that Silvia thought she might go deaf. "It's Clark to you."

Silvia's heart beat picked up, pounding painfully in her chest. Superman could hear it... It seemed like she became more and more scared of him every day. He let go of her with a sigh of defeat. He stood up and walked towards the open door.

"Come out with me. If you speak to more of the regime you might change your mind." He said lowly.

She didn't want to go out, she'd already spoken to anyone she cared about that joined him. Silvia wasn't willing to reject his offer though, not with how angry he already was. "Alright..."

The Fortress hadn't changed at all since yesterday. It was still dark and gloomy, a base for planning not relaxing. It was no longer a memento of his origin planet. Silvia was lead into a room where most of the regime were training and left standing near the wall.

Superman looked slightly uncomfortable, either because he knew Silvia made him vulnerable or because he was guilty about how he had spoken to her... He hadn't felt any form of regret in five years so it wasn't an emotion he was use to.

"I'll give you some space..." He said semi-calmly but it was apparent that he didn't want to leave her. "I'll be back soon."

Silvia nodded but said nothing as he left her there. The Regime apparently were going out of there way to not look at her. They focused on their training and ignored her presence... All except one.

"Silvia!" A voice said in an upbeat tone.

The blonde turned around only to spot Shazam running over to her. She wasn't sure whether to be happy that she was seeing him or upset that he was following Superman. Either way she felt her lips twitch into a smile with the knowledge that he was alive.

"Billy!" She called back happily, almost tackling the large boy into a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

His massive arms squeezed around her as he laughed (a little less childishly than in her world). "You too. I missed you so much!"

Silvia couldn't withhold the snort that sounded when he lifted her from the ground. It was always amusing to her that he could turn into someone twice his own age. When he put her back down he grinned, face turning slightly pink at his previous excitement.

"Well, since we're both from different worlds, we should try and get reacquainted." Silvia returned his smile. "How old are you now? In my world you were only twelve."

His arm flew up to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm definitely older than that now."

"And how old would that be?"

Shazam rolled his shoulders. "I just turned twenty-four, actually."

Silvia's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "What?! You're... the same age as me?"

Billy too looked a little shocked before realisation crossed his face. "Oh, well if you were from this world you would have been about thirty-six by now... I guess your world is a bit earlier than ours."

"Still that's just weird... I've known you since you were a kid." She shivered uncomfortably. "I watched you grow up, dude, and now we're the same age?"

"Maybe we shouldn't think about it too much." Shazam laughed. This form of his was still much older than twenty-four. It made her wonder what he looked like now in his regular body, and how much he had grown. "Not that I didn't wish I was your age when I was younger."

Silvia shook her head. "Bet you're regretting that now. Being an adult isn't as great as people make it out to be."

"You can say that again." The man agreed. "I can't get away with anything anymore."

Silvia hadn't felt so relaxed in a while. Billy always did have that effect on her, that childishness still hadn't disappeared and it reached into the child that she never got to be when she was younger. Somehow though, he was simultaneously more mature than most older people she knew. She hadn't laughed so genuinely since she'd arrived there, unfortunately this sound silenced abruptly when her eyes landed on a familiar costume.

There was a man in that room. One with long hair... and wearing Nightwing's costume, or something very similar. Her gaze sharpened like blades, and before Billy could figure out what was going on, Silvia was marching in the importers direction. The man was bashing a dummy in multiple places with two batons. He heard her approaching and paused.

"Hey, asshole." Silvia hissed. She was so upset about Richard that anyone wearing his old costume felt like an insult. Even if there was a good explanation it would never sufficiently calm her rage. "That costume isn't yours."

The man turned. He had the same dark hair and blue eyes as Richard but his features were more like Bruce's. That only made her hate him more.

"It is now." He said indifferently.

"Fuck off!" Silvia could feel a growl rip through her chest, reaching her vocal chords like a snarling wild animal. "I saw you training. You're not worthy of wearing Nightwing's armour... In fact, you're not good enough to wipe the dirt from his boots!"

He didn't answer her but his body language said it all; white knuckles from clenching his fists too hard, and gritted teeth from effort to remain silent. His hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid - burning.

"Heh, pathetic." Silvia spat. "Dick would be rolling in his grave if he knew someone so timid had taken on his mantle."

The impostors teeth made an audible gritting sound and he almost lunged for her, the only thing that stopped him was Shazam. His hand was on his chest, keeping him in place. "Come on, Damian. This doesn't have to turn physical. Besides, you'll have to face Superman if you hurt her."

Damian looked like he was rethinking his actions and stepped back. Silvia, however, was sent into full-blown fury. Damian?! It was him. He was the one that killed Richard... and he had the nerve to take his place. Her face was red with rage and when her eyes landed once more on Damian she mentally snapped.

Hatred hissed through her body like deathly poison, screeching and demanding release in the form of violence. It was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping off her like ferocious waves. The wrath consumed her, engulfing her restraint and destroying any boundaries she had set for herself.

She pounced at Damian and Billy only just managed to get out of the way. Her fists collided with the man's face more times than she could count. She could feel fresh tears running down her cheeks every time her hand connected with his jaw; the pain of Richard's death coming in fresh waves.

Damian only barely managed to throw her off of him. Her sorrow left her vulnerable and blind to attacks, otherwise he knew he had no chance. Despite the crowd forming, telling him not to retaliate, he wasn't the type to just sit back and take a beating.

He swung his arm heftily at her head but she ducked under and cut his right leg with the shiv she had stolen from a guard. Damian let out a groan of pain, looking down to see the red liquid pouring from his thigh.

Damian's whole face darkened and he took a swing at her. She was so lost in her own anger that she didn't even try to dodge the incoming attack and before she knew it a baton was whacking her across the face. Once. Twice. Thrice. The pill increased the users strength a little as well, apparently, because typically Silvia wouldn't have felt the first few blows. This time she did. She finally snapped her mind into action and rolled backwards, spitting out a mouthful of blood when she got back to her feet.

Damian moved again.

Silvia jerked back aside. The blow meant for her throat whizzed by in a blur of knuckles. From the corner of her eye, she saw her opponent's other arm begin an upward trajectory. She ducked this time, and felt her hair ruffle with the force of it.

She charged with a roar like a bull. Damian sidestepped, whirling to face her. Silvia lunged again. He avoided one flying fist, only to collide with another. The blow bounced off his ribcage, a sharp sting piercing through his body. He was already bleeding from both his nose and mouth but this blow made him stumble back, coughing.

"Dick would have dodged that. You couldn't win even if I let you!" The taste of metal was still filling her mouth, staining her teeth as red as her tongue. "First you kill him then you disgrace his memory. How fucking low do you have to be?"

"Shut up!" Damian snarled, unsheathing a sword from his side and running in her direction.

Silvia was ready to dodge it. Ready to take the sword and lunge it into his shoulder. She wouldn't kill him... but she'd make him hurt. Neither of them got the opportunity to try. When Damian was only inches away he was pulled back by someone... a very tall someone.

Those in the room either gasped or fell silent. Superman was clutching onto Damian's arm, eyes burning red. He looked at Silvia, covered in blood and a cut above her right eyes, then back to Damian with a sneer. "Didn't I tell you that no one was to lay a finger on her?"

"She started it." He mumbled like a spoilt child.

Superman's muscles rippled under his suit, tensing and tightening at the anger boiling through him. He let go of Damian's arm only to clasp him around the throat. Choking sounds filled the room, Damian clawing at Superman's hand but with little success.

Silvia hated to admit it but the darkness that still throbbed inside of her enjoyed seeing him in pain. He'd killed someone close to her... and for the first time she could understand how Superman felt. She fought off the feeling. After seeing what similar hatred had done to their universe she knew it would only end up in everyone else's suffering.

Superman's grip on the boys neck tightened and for a minute it looked like he was contemplating killing him. His gaze flicked to Silvia once more, and though she didn't want to, she shook her head. "It was my fault... Please, let him go."

Superman's eyes narrowed at Damian, fading from red to their usual blue. He didn't kill him but he did kick him in the stomach hard enough to puncture something. "If I ever hear that you've even considered hurting her again I won't be as merciful."

The atmosphere was heavy, almost suffocating. It was then that she realized that some of the Regime members were just as scared of him as she was. Maybe they joined for that exact reason... It wasn't any excuse to sit around and watch the world burn though, and least of all to watch someone like Superman destroy everything they once stood for. If there was one good thing she could say about Batman, it was that he was trying to stop all of this... even if his methods sounded extreme.


	40. Forty

**_Chapter Forty: Godfall_**

Clark was practically fuming when he took Silvia back to his room. Despite her constant reminding that she was a fast healer he still checked her vitals and cleaned up the cut above her eye. Her Clark tended to worry about her as well, but nothing like this. He knew that she could stand her own ground against someone like Damian, as much as he disapproved of it. This Superman though... he treated her like some fragile little doll.

Silvia wasn't one to enjoy being treated like a child but she knew that, after everything Kal-El had gone through, it wasn't unjustified. She sighed, trying to suppress any rude comments that urged its way up her throat. She was there to help. She wanted to help. To do that she'd have to get to know this worlds Superman, just like Clark had done with her.

"Hey... Clark?" She said in the softest voice she could manage, it definitely didn't come naturally. Not only was it a struggle to call this stranger the same name as the man she loved, but sweetness often sounded like mockery when coming from her mouth... probably because it was most of the time. "I know you're really busy and you've already sacrificed enough time on my behalf, but I was hoping that we could, you know, talk?"

Kal-El looked a little taken back by her words, meaning that he stared at her and blinked a few times instead of avoiding her gaze altogether. He cleared his throat, shifting on the spot and trying to hide the slight spark of light that had quickly appeared and vanished in his eyes. "I always have time for you."

Silvia wasn't sure how to feel; flattered, saddened, or sceptical. Still she took the opportunity while it was still there. "Well... umm... In my world, when you and I met, the first thing you did was arrest me. I was wondering if it was the same here?"

Kal-El's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"It would be cool to see what our worlds have in common, if there is anything." Honestly, she was craving some sense of familiarity. She hadn't even gotten accustomed to her own universe yet... let alone this one. "If that's alright with you, I mean."

Something flashed beneath the surface of his hardened expression and she was quick to investigate the sudden shift. It was too late, the emotion disappeared before Silvia could identify it, like reaching desperately for an escaped balloon; the string dangling so tantalizingly close but the wind pushing it away.

For a while it seemed like the man would never answer her, then he straightened his posture and spoke. "There was a mass breakout at Strykers. I was the first on the scene, but just when I was about to finish rounding up the prisoners, Atomic Skull started attacking. I had to refocus my attention to recapturing him. While I was distracted Parasite started making his way towards me, hoping to catch me off guard. You... Silvia... shot him."

Her eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "Shot him? And that's all it took?"

"No, the gun used plasma... pure energy, and Parasite feeds off of energy. It made him stronger but the shot also made me aware of his presence. When she kept shooting him I thought she was insane. He was growing bigger, getting stronger, and no matter how many times I told her to stop shooting she didn't listen." His face was as unreadable as always but she could tell that thinking about it brought him some degree of peace. If it hadn't he would have gone silent by now. "Eventually the energy build up became too much for Parasite to store and he exploded."

"So... she killed him?" Silvia asked, not sounding at all surprised that a completely different version of herself killed as well.

"I thought so at first, but then I looked again. A weaker, skinnier version of Parasite stood where the explosion had gone off. Silvia had meant to kill him but I didn't know that at the time. I thought she was one of us... A new hero to help bring light to the world."

Well, that was definitely different to her own Clark's first impression of her... They had hated each other the moment they saw one another.

Kal-El continued. "Turns out she was an inmate, she'd been arrested a week beforehand. She had gone to the evidence locker and stolen her gear back then spotted Parasite on her way out. He was on her hit list... One of her bigger jobs. She knew how strong he was but didn't back down for a second. I've never been able to properly word how amazing she really was; brave, productive, independent, strong, kind...well, when she wanted to be at least. She both does and doesn't fit into the description I give of her. She was unconventional. It was hard to pin her down, even when it came to her personality. You would tell her that she was kind and she'd redouble her efforts to prove you wrong."

A shaky breath moved through her lungs. That sounded a lot more like her than she was expecting. "So, you liked her right away?"

"I wouldn't say that." Kal-El answered. "I respected her but once I found out who she really was and what she did I was instantly against it... and her. I was foolish. I couldn't comprehend her way of thinking... or maybe I just didn't try. Now I see that she was right and even if she had lived, I would have killed her eventually with my idiotic ideals."

Silvia's lips tugged into a frown. "That's not true... She believed in your ideals too. It might have taken her a while but that's because her life was full of hurt and regret... She didn't have any hope that there was another way, you gave that to her."

"Then I killed her before Joker ever had the chance to make me..."

"No, you don't get it. You gave her something worth living for, you proved to her that there was good still to be found in this world. If she had one greatest fear I can guarantee you that it wouldn't be death..." Silvia felt her fingers twitch as she reached out to graze them against his cheek. "It would be seeing you like this."

Finally he showed some kind of emotion, but it wasn't anything positive. His expression scrunched up and he grabbed her wrist to push her hand away. "You don't know that."

"I do though... because I can't imagine anything worse than knowing you'll be like this for the rest of your life." Silvia tried to move her arm out of his grip but knew that it was pointless. The pill had made her stronger... but she still couldn't compare to Superman. "You said that she was hard to understand, but I know exactly how she felt. This is a different world but, at her core, she was still me. If anyone knows what she'd think about all this..." Her voice trailed off when she started the feel the pressure her wrist was being held with. She growled. Any restraint she was trying to give herself disappeared. "If you don't fucking let go of me right now I won't only leave you again, I'll skin you in your sleep!"

Kal-El stared at her, blue eyes widening slightly but enough for her to notice. It seemed like this was the first time he truly saw her as similar to his own Silvia. A hot-headed, foul-mouthed woman with a short temper... but one with their heart in the right place. His own Silvia threw out insults and threats to anyone that dared try to intimidate her, or anyone that was getting too close. She got better the longer she was with him but that temper could never be erased.

Kal-El's fingers uncurled from her wrist and she swiftly brought the limb closer to her body so he couldn't grab it again. She was starting to regret snapping at someone that she was meant to be helping, but there was a small moment when Superman's eyes flicked to the draw where Silvia knew the photograph was. That's when she saw it, something familiar in his expression. Something softer... kinder. It was the moment when Silvia knew that he really might change if she stayed long enough and pushed against his knew ideals.

These quick few seconds of mutual realization were interrupted by a loud but hesitant knock on the door. Kal-El gave them permission to enter, and for the first time he actually looked grateful for the distraction. Shazam stepped inside, nervously glancing around the room to make sure he hadn't interrupted anything. "Sorry, but there's something the Regime wants to discuss with you."

Kal-El nodded and when Shazam left he leaned back down towards Silvia. "I don't want to argue with you, Silvia." He said despite the monotone that had returned to his voice. "We can talk about this more when I get back."

His fingers gently touched the side of her face, and before Silvia could react, he brushed his lips against hers. She saw his mouth visibly twitch when he drew back, almost into a smile but he stopped it before it could. Without even waiting to see how Silvia felt about it he left, leaving the girl vigorously wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She felt a gag arise in her throat, then she started scrubbing her lips again. He may have looked like Clark, he may have once even been Clark, but it still felt wrong kissing anyone but the man she loved.

Following Superman and listening in on their plans was getting old fast, but she knew that she had to do it... She had to know what was going on outside of the Fortress. When she got there she could already hear them talking and hoped to god that Superman wasn't listening out for her, that she'd just fade into white noise like last time.

"The reality is that there's an uprising. People are starting to side with Batman, and the more vocal of the citizens are starting to encourage more of them to betray us." Black Adam spoke in a deep, heavily-accented voice.

"I made them safe. Shielded them..." Superman suddenly growled from the circle of Regime members, the only few outside of the group was Flash, Yellow Lantern and Shazam who stood a few feet behind Kal-El. "But are they grateful? Do they appreciate my protection? No... They whine. Complain. Side with those criminals." His fist pounded against the table and Silvia had to wonder how it didn't break under the force. "If they prefer chaos, I'll give it to them. Metropolis and Gotham... I'll flatten them. I'll set an example."

Silvia's hand slowly crept up to her mouth, cupping it and forcing any sounds back down her throat... She had never expected him to get this bad.

"Wait." Billy's voice pierced the air and the people still standing in the circle turned to face Shazam. "We're wiping out whole cities? We've already interfered in other dimensions by keeping Silvia here, haven't we done enough?"

Kal-El gritted his teeth. "You have a problem with how I'm running things, Billy?" He spat his name out like poison on his tongue.

"Well, yeah... It's crazy! It's going too far." Shazam didn't hesitate to reply, nor to step forward, and Silvia's heart swelled proudly. She felt like a parent watching their kid stand up for what was right. When all these adults failed, someone much younger was the only one with any sense.

"Man's world is incapable of self-rule. We will preserve order." Wonder Woman said firmly.

Shazam stepped forward once more. "No... There have to be limits. Even on us. Especially on us!"

Flash looked like he was going to stop Shazam from speaking any more but Hal pulled him back. It was too late now.

"That's enough!" Kal-El yelled and it seemed to shake through the entire building.

"You can't do this! Have you gone nuts?!" Billy's voice cracked and it was a grim reminder of his young age. "Silvia would never have wanted this! Even the one you've brought here will turn against you when she finds ou-"

Superman clutched onto Shazam's neck and held him into the air. From where she was Silvia could see the struggle on his face but her legs wouldn't move. She was paralysed in shock... and fear.

"Shaza-" Billy tried to summon his powers but Superman blew ice cold wind around his mouth and froze it shut. He was screaming now but it was muffled by the ice. Having something so cold setting against his skin eventually felt more like fire... like his mouth was being burnt off.

Silvia willed her legs to move, she forced her body to make it to the door but before she could turn the handle the screams grew louder... then there was nothing but an eerie silence. She took her hand off of the handle, heart thumping in her chest. She shuffled to the side and peaked through the small window.

Agony spread throughout her body like icy, liquid metal. Her feet trembled and her legs twitched, fighting the impulse to whirl around and sprint down that damp, shadowed corridor; her throat closed in threat of screaming. Kal-El's heat vision had fried a hole right through Billy's head. He dropped the body and it crumpled lifeless on the floor. The older form of Shazam disappeared and suddenly he was the same age as her. Even at twenty-four he still looked like a teenager, smaller and weaker than his other persona.

Silvia's skin was greyed in a way that made it look thicker, more leathery, as if all the blood had been leached from her entire body. An awful hollowness washed over her, the waves of grief threatened to engulf her mind, body and soul. For a moment she saw her own Billy in that corpse... The young twelve year-old that she was so protective over.

"Anyone else?" Kal-El hissed and no one dared say anything.

Silvia wanted to burst through that door and stab that man in the skull, but she was crying so hard that her vision was blurry and her mind was throbbing. She wouldn't be able to get anywhere near him in her current state and she couldn't forgive him, not after this, and so she ran. She ran so far and for so long that she thought her legs might give way beneath her.

It was all pointless though. Superman may not have heard her approaching but the guards had seen her leave. They were following her now, and not only them, but Hawkgirl as well. She could take on the guards easily but her?... No way.

One by one she knocked out the armoured soldiers as they caught up to her but soon enough she couldn't outrun Hawkgirl who was so fast in the air that she was like a mini jet. The flying woman threw her mace at Silvia who barely managed to roll out of its path. One its sharp edges scratched her shoulder, ripping through her shirt and drawing blood. Silvia hissed.

There was no where she could run, so instead she dived for the mace... Hawkgirl got there first. "You're coming back with me." She stated simply, swooping down to grab Silvia's arm.

Before she could be dragged back to the Fortress another voice pierced the air. "Halt, Hawkgirl."

"Diana? What are you doing here?"

"This woman is a traitor. Not only has she spoken out against our cause, she now seeks the refuge of Batman." Her voice boomed strictly, just as loud and strong as Kal-El's. "She has turned against us. If she were anyone else she would have been killed the moment her tyranny started."

"Yes... but Superman gave us orders to capture her unharmed." The girl glanced at the red liquid dripping from Silvia's arm. "Well, almost unharmed."

"I'm well aware of his orders. Unfortunately the councillor isn't in the state of mind to make these decisions on his own. He's blinded by his feelings for our Silvia... but she's dead. This woman is nothing more than a shameless copy."

"Are you sure you're not just upset that he's not rooting you anymore?" The words spat out of Silvia's mouth without any thought to them."I kinda ruined the whole prospect of you being the rebound girl, ay?"

"I am nobody's rebound!" Diana hissed back.

"You are." Silvia replied quickly, but this time there was no bite in her tone. "You've abandoned everything you believed in for some man that can never love you... I thought amazons were above all that."

Diana's teeth bared. "Silence, traitor, or I'll cut out your tongue!"

"Then do it knowing that you are no Amazon princess. You're a fucking coward that bends to the will of a man, not because it's what's best for him, but because you know you'll get him if you go along with it. You're not Diana, you're not even a shadow of the woman she was."

Diana nodded at Hawkgirl who reluctantly released Silvia and stepped aside. For a second she thought maybe Wonder Woman had listened to reason... that is until her fist went whirling into the side of Silvia's face.

The blonde was sent flying backwards, grazing against the ground until her clothes had tatters in the back. It felt like she'd been hit by a train, but somehow survived. The pain was so intense that she wondered if those pills were worth it... if maybe it was easier to die then to feel even half the weight of a punch like that.

Diana cracked her knuckles, muscles rippling beneath the skin of her arms. Silvia's eyes widened as she flew through the air and thumped back down in front of her. A loud ringing noise was produced as the concrete split. "You do not fight back because you know it is pointless."

She backed away frantically, until she felt the cold touch of the brick wall behind her. Dead end. Her throat dried and her body screamed at her to at least try and fight... to die with a little dignity. She refused it. "I don't fight back because I choose not to, Diana."

"Then you are a fool." She brought her fist back up, and with one swift movement, crashed it against her jaw. Silvia felt it move and almost dislocate.

One hit came after another, punches and kicks both. She felt her bones jolt with every hit. One final hit and she was down again, coughing up blood until her teeth, chin and left cheek was colored crimson. She could feel the damage being done and her body frantically trying to heal her before her heart completely gave out. Bruised lung, fractured ribs, broken hip, she could feel it all... but Silvia also knew that had she not taken the damn pill then the first hit would have killed her.

Finally, Wonder Woman unsheathed her sword and started marching towards her. "You are the coward now. You made no attempt to fight for your life even when it was handed to you."

"That isn't cowardice." Silvia gritted her teeth and more blood spilled from her lips. "I would fight almost anyone else, Diana, but never you... You were my fucking inspiration. When I was a child I stupidly wished that I had someone to look up to. Someone to show me that I was not powerless in my situation. Then I heard about you... I saw you in pictures from the old world wars. The first female superhero, but one that took no crap from anybody. Not the government, not men, not other women. You've been around as long as I can remember and I've wanted to be you for most of my life."

Diana's gaze didn't waver. Her hands tightened against the hilt of her blade as she came even closer to Silvia. The blonde sighed, resting her head against the brick wall in defeat as she continued. "No matter how far you've fallen I won't fight you, even if I had the power to win. The idea of you got me through when I thought I was nothing but a piece of trash and you did the same for other little girls, that respect will never disappear. We should be helping one another not ripping at each other's throats."

"You will not sweet talk me, traitor, like you did Kal-El." She growled angrily.

"Is that what this is about? You want to kill me so Superman will look at you again?"Silvia's brow furrowed, voice raspy and broken. "Diana, you never needed Clark. You never needed anybody. With or without him you were an incredible woman... There was a time when you knew that as well."

"This isn't about Kal-El!" The woman yelled and it wasn't clear whether she was lying or not. "This is about the world he is creating."

"A world you would never have agreed to had he not persuaded you." Silvia tried to move but winced at the pain that shot through her body. "To die by your hand would be an honor... if only you were the Diana I remember."

Wonder Woman's face scrunched up in fury. "This ends now."

She raised her sword above her head, and with all of her strength she brought it back down upon Silvia like the wrath of the Gods. Lightening struck somewhere in the distance, either with approval or disapproval for the woman molded from clay and granted her gifts by divine beings. Blood was already stained on her hands, but now another would be added to the innocent people punished for something beyond their control; Richard Grayson 'Nightwing', Oliver Queen 'Green Arrow', Princess Koriand'r 'Starfire', Billy Batson 'Shazam'... and Silvia Stone 'Reaper'.


	41. Forty-One

**_Chapter Forty-One: The Last Stand I_**

"I could just vibrate at the same frequency." The Flash suggested to the concerned Superman.

Clark gazed over Barry's shoulder at his computer terminal as he responded "...Are you sure it leads somewhere?"

"Yeah...mostly."

Victor Stone, Cyborg, addressed this recklessness by turning in his chair and saying "Clark...we'll find her, I promise you that, but I don't think taking blind jumps is the way to do it."

Barry scrunched up his face in hesitant disagreement. "...How would we feel in his spot, Vic?"

"No, he's right." Clark crossed his arms as he spoke. "There has to be a better way...a way to...pull her back through?"

Barry tapped away on the computer terminal. "Well, theoretically, we could if I made some adjustments to the cosmic treadmill...but we don't have Silvia's data on record. If it were say, a Leaguer over there, we could plug their unique signature into the computer and anchor them back here."

"And since Sil isn't a League member, we never logged thorough scans of her physiology..." Clark muttered.

Cyborg and Flash both sent their eyes to Clark, who took a moment to weigh his options. He knew that he needed to find a way to get over there himself, to wherever Silvia was taken.At the moment, the only traces of evidence were a unique energy footprint that was left and an echo that Barry felt in the speed force, as if someone used a great deal of its energy.

Without warning, a bright flash of blue lightning consumed Clark's vision. His hearing went white, and every muscle in his body tensed and throbbed. He gritted his teeth and tried to peer through the lightning as it began to fade away.In came the images of a loaded and cluttered laboratory.

The slight 'pain' faded, and Clark stood taller as he saw who brought him here. "Luthor."

"Before you do anything rash...scan my vitals. It'll tell you everything you need to know."This mysterious Lex Luthor's request did in fact answer the big question. Silvia was taken to a parallel Earth...and now, so was Clark. This was an alternate Lex Luthor...

"You have a lot of explaining to do." Clark demanded.

"I know. I've been watching your world for some time. Unlike your Luthor, I never indulged in lawbreaking. It was quite disturbing to see, honestly. But what I'm about to tell you might be even more so for you." Lex keyed a few commands into a nearby terminal, and the machine that seemingly brought Superman here cooled to a dull silver and halted its low hum."I called on you because Bruce will never go through with it, though he tries to pretend like he will. This world needs you. It needs Superman." Lex admitted.

Clark halted and thinned his lips. "Where's Silvia?"

"...He has her. Our Clark Kent."

They were such close rivals that Clark could instantly read the dread and anger in Lex's eyes, even though they were from separate universes. "What aren't you telling me?" Clark asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"...Our Silvia was murdered. She was...pregnant."

Clark froze. The words bit at him with such ferocity he feared it would leave him an empty shell. His chest ached and any doubt that people could die of a broken heart seemed, for a second, to fade.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you how he felt. As if it wasn't enough, a nuclear warhead levelled Metropolis. Millions died. It was the Joker...that psychopath." Lex recounted sorrowfully. The words stung him like daggers. "Clark...was my friend. But he was overcome with grief and anger. It made him cross the line. Bruce told me he tore through that madman's chest like he made out of wet newspaper. First I understood it. I didn't condone it...but I knew why. But it didn't stop. Then it was our friends, people you undoubtedly know and love. The only one left standing against Superman's regime is Bruce. It needs to stop."

Clark felt a shiver run through his spine. He thought losing those he cared about was his worst nightmare...but this news drove a stake through his heart.

Lex sighed. "Flash brought Silvia here. He thought it would help him heal."

"And it hasn't." Clark muttered.

"I don't know. He's changing, definitely, especially when she's involved... but I'm not sure if we have the time to wait and see if she can change him." Lex sighed as he paced to a chair and slumped into it, mind racing.

Clark, shaking his head, bore a bitter grimace. "I'll stop him."

"You can't, not on your own. He has followers; like-minded metahumans and super criminals that he's...rehabilitated. You need the League, Superman."

"Whatever it takes." Clark stated sternly, a confident and powerful look on his face. "If it's any consolation, I like you more than the Lex I'm used to."

Lex arched an eyebrow as he chuckled. "Yes, it would've been hard to top him, I'm sure."

\--

Less than twenty minutes later Booster Gold shrugged carelessly as he said "Were you planing on asking us about all this before yanking us over?"

"What exactly did he need to consult you about? People are in danger here." Hal Jordan rebutted.

"This isn't our planet. Why should we even--"

Diana rapidly chimed in, in an effort to both put her foot down and calm her colleagues. "A life is a life. A world is a world. Am I clear?" Her voice boomed, yet flowed like silk.

Silence followed as Booster bit his tongue.

"This may not be our world, but it is someone else's." She continued. "It is oppression and tyranny, regardless."

"She's right. If you were up against Supes back home, you can be damn sure you'd want help." John Henry Irons, Steel, remarked as he heaved his massive sledgehammer with the aid of his power armour's servo motors.

Booster rethought his stance on the matter. "Uh...yeah. Still doesn't explain why we gotta help. Whatever, just point and I'll bring the hurt."

Starfire furrowed her brow and spoke up "We cannot risk Silvia's well-being with an attack. They have her." She made sure to exaggerate Silvia's name in the hopes that Booster would notice.

Clark sighed as he walked back to his team from the next room... Starfire was right. This world's Superman may care about her, but Clark wasn't willing to risk Silvia's life on that. The only life he was willing to risk was his own. "We have the element of surprise. We should keep that until we know for absolute certain where Silvia is."

The Leaguers listening intently were Hal Jordan, Wonder Woman, Starfire, Steel, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold and Zatanna. Booster wasn't everyone else's favourite person...but Clark knew that deep down, beneath the parts of him that monetised being a hero for personal gain, was a genuinely good person. No one else but him could see it.

J'onn instantly stepped forward. "Clark, I can conduct reconnaissance on the outside world. Perhaps I can find clues pertaining to Reaper's whereabouts."

"We can't risk that. I can only block us from detection if we're all together." Zatanna answered. "If what Lex is saying is true, which it is according to Diana, Superman will be able to detect you solely from your Martian heartbeat. He almost killed this world's version of you."

Clark's eyes fell to the ground as the sorceress mentioned his name. This place was his hell. A place where the name 'Superman' incited fear. Where he would kill his friends...where he would kill anyone without need. The worst torture of this hell was that it could happen to him. The feelings he had when Brainiac killed his father haunted him. He saw this strange world within him...like it was festering and waiting to surface.

"Clark?" Hawkman repeated, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Oh, excuse me..." He said in response. "I must've...zoned out."

Steel voiced his concern for his mentor "We could take care of this for you. No sweat."

"No. This is my fight...No one else dies."

"Yeah, and just point out someone here who could take down big blue if he wasn't holding back." Booster whistled.

"Wow, you actually do have brain cells in there." Hal joked.

Hawkman huffed angrily "This waiting...it feels useless, Clark. The sooner we end this madness the better."

Clark didn't even have time to respond before Lex came barreling in from the next room. "Superman, corner of 13th and White! She's there, she escaped!"

His eyes widened. Then time slowed, for no one else but him. He finally knew what to do. Clark rocketed through the ceiling, passing straight through it like it was made of styrofoam. Metropolis turned into a blur of concrete and reflections as he sped through the strangely similar city. Focusing hard enough, he managed to single out Silvia's shallow breaths...and elevated heart rate. She was in trouble. Not much can get her that worked up.T

The Man of Steel clenched his fists and raised them in front of him as he soared towards the sound. He could see her now...and his heart froze. "No...no...! No!!" He roared.

Without any pulled motions, Superman rammed into the side of Silvia's attacker, who was in the middle of burying a sword into Silvia's neck. Knowing that these Regime agents were strengthened, his rage didn't allow him to take the time to identify his foe.

Hand clenched firmly around their neck, he forced them back first into the pavement, slowing their course and tearing the road to shreds. It was...Diana. "K-Kal...?"

Clark stood tall, squeezed tighter, then threw his other fist at Diana's face. The ensuring impact would've been deafening to any human within five metres. Nearby windows shattered as this alternate Wonder Woman was sent flying backwards into an empty construction site, levelling the entire ten storey structure with a puff of grey dust.

Clark stopped from hurling himself at the attacker once more. His breathing quivered. He thought he couldn't be capable of whatLex said he was...until that moment. Until Silvia was about to die. He felt it.

"Clark...?" Silvia's weary but skeptical voice asked.

He instantly turned around. Her face was soaked in sweat and her hair was matted and tangled. Blood stained the rest of her uniform...and Clark didn't think it was Diana's. "Sil...! Are you hurt?" He said, pacing to her.

Silvia launched herself into Clark, who was almost winded by the sudden 'attack'. She buried her face into Clark's chest as she fastened her arms around him. "Oh god, Clark...Oh my god. I-I...I missed you."

"Are you hurt?" He repeated.

"I've had worse." She pulled her head upwards and looked into his eyes, her own pooling with tears of joy. "How are you?" She joked with a smile.

Clark couldn't help but smile back. She never let him stay angry. She was too smart for that. "Just peachy...now that I've got you." He wiped her tears away tenderly.

The shifting of concrete in the construction site won his attention. Clark muttered "I think our third wheel wants another shot."

"You two were banging before, by the way. Well not literally, but as in you were together. So it would be safe to assume that you had a couple times."

"Stop talking, Sil." Clark quipped, focusing on the moving rubble.

"Mhm, yes sir." She said obediently, digging into her pocket and slipping her mask on.

He glanced at Silvia, smirking. "You might wanna, you know...move. I should take this one."

"Be my guest. She didn't like me very much anyway."

With a fierce grunt, Wonder Woman freed herself from the mound of concrete with a vicious punch, showering the immediate area with shrapnel and debris. "You dare strike me?" She threatened.

"Walk away, Diana."

"You are a coward. An insult to the real Kal-El."

Silvia whistled "She doesn't seem to like you either." Clark sent her a rather annoyed and serious glare, making her respond with "Okay okay, I'm hiding." She jogged off into a nearby alleyway.

"You all became cowards the second you turned the Justice League into a world dictatorship." Clark added as he took firm steps towards Diana.

The warrior princess unsheathed her blade and leapt at Clark, sword poised for a lethal strike. Clark swung his left forearm out as Diana closed in, parrying her sword with ease and sending it flying out of her grip. His right hand followed with a hook to the jaw, then came around with a backhanded blow and his left delivered an incredible uppercut that landed on Diana's stomach.

Nothing but growls escaped the Amazon's throat as she ignored the pain and thrusted her forehead into Clark's.The resulting force pushed him a step back, a big enough opening for Diana to take advantage of. Diana winded back, and lashed out with a tremendously fearsome front kick.

The blow struck Clark in the chest and propelled him backwards, head over heels, as he bounced along the road like a pebble skipping across water. He impacted with a cacophony of bending steel and shattering glass into the side of a bus, tearing a hole in it and causing it to fall over from the immense force.

Clark was scared...not of Diana, but of himself. He didn't want this twisted future to be his...and it prevented him from cutting loose. But he needed to... to protect Silvia and the innocent people being subjugated in that world.

With a grimace, Clark wrenched himself from the mangled vehicle and rose to a hover several meters above the bus. He squinted, focusing his eyes until they projected beams of pure heat at Diana.

The jets of red hot energy knocked her onto her back, then Clark speared into his downed opponent like a missile. The pavement erupted, a crater forming where the Man of Steel smashed the Amazon Champion into the ground. Clark stood, eyes pinned on Diana's dazed body.

"That is quite enough!" A voice commanded.

Clark huffed, knowing that it couldn't be good. A thin man with a black moustache, a yellow and black uniform, matching yellow helmet...and reddish skin floated down from the sky. To his right, bound by glowing yellow stocks, was Silvia. She was struggling fruitlessly against the yellow energy of Sinestro's power ring.

Behind him, on the ground, were Killer Frost, Bane, Aquaman and...a Yellow Lantern Hal Jordan.

"It's me you want, Sinestro. Let her go."

"I'm afraid she is the one I want. Move a single muscle, and I will cut her in half." The Korugarian pompously declared.

Clark bared his teeth...until he heard a relieving sound. His serious demeanor morphed into a rather jokey one. "You might want to watch your back."

Sinestro snorted with laughter. "Your empty threats mean nothing to--"

Without warning, the signature metal mace of Katar Hol, Hawkman, slammed into the back of Sinestro's large skull with a startling crack. His now limp body slapped against a nearby building, and the shackles binding Silvia disappeared.

She landed on her feet and spun to Clark "Pitch me!"

"You sure? We haven't practiced--"

She leapt at Clark, who fumbled in confusion as he caught her. "Do it!" She shouted at him as she lay in his arms.

Clark took a millisecond to smile at her and say "You're the boss." as he twirled, and released the Reaper at the nearest target. Silvia, now a human projectile, soared into Aquaman, taking him into the hood of a car.

Booster Gold dove in from the air, tackling Killer Frost to the ground. "You just hit the jackpot, sister!"

"I'm not sure what's more disturbing. That one-liner, or seeing me as Sinestro's lackey." Green Lantern remarked as he threw a handful of missiles at his counterpart.

As the incantation "Pord mih otni eht yawbus!" echoed through the air, the ground under Bane's feet shook, then crumbled. The gigantic man fell underground, and Zatanna swiftly dove in after him.

Diana, the real one, landed by Clark, lasso of truth in hand. She smiled tenderly. "I'm glad you found her, Clark."

"Me too. Thanks for coming."

"Well. This is strange." Wonder Woman quipped as she glanced at the other Wonder Woman at Clark's feet.

In a sequence that was fairly odd for both Clark and Diana, she bound her counterpart tightly in the lasso as she regained consciousness. "Where is your Superman?" Diana pressed.

The counterpart struggled to resist the lasso but even she couldn't. "The...Fortress of...Solitude. But you...won't live to see him. Your end is here."

A familiar thud snared Clark's attention. He gazed down the street, past Silvia as she fiercely pummelled Aquaman into a bloody mess... In a pile of car wrecks and rubble was the gigantic grey creature whose red eyes were the only things that could strike true fear into Clark's heart. And Silvia was in its direct path. "Doomsday." He muttered.

"Go. You're the only one who can take him. I'll protect Silvia with my life." Diana said.

Clark's gaze never left Doomsday, and the second Diana had made her promise, he had taken off in the monster's direction. There wasn't any time to thank her but he knew that she meant it. Their Diana was nothing like the one from this alternate universe. She would fight for Silvia until the death.


	42. Forty-Two

**_Chapter Forty-Two: The Last Stand II_**

Clark was glad to find that the Fortress of Solitude was in the same location that it was in his universe, but his flight control wasn't exactly perfect since he was wrestling with a certain unkillable creature.

Metropolis was now a battlefield for two Justice Leagues, and Clark knew that if he and Doomsday stayed there, it would become less of a battlefield and more of a crater. Their short fight in Metropolis already leveled buildings and tore up the foundations in such a way that it had to be completely relaid in certain parts. He had one idea to try to get rid of Doomsday though...and he needed the Fortress.

Superman speared through the air, arms wrapped around the impenetrable hide of the Kryptonian monster. Doomsday dropped blow after blow onto Clark's spine, and tried to wrench itself to disorient the Man of Steel. Clark had no choice but to grit his teeth and hold through the pain.The crystalline structure of the Fortress grew larger and larger, until the two god-like beings came crashing through it.

Clark grunted in pain as he came rolling to a halt on the ground. When he opened his eyes, he saw that this Fortress was somewhat similar to his own...but it was still different. He focused and scanned the massive location, and finally found the device he was after. The Phantom Zone projector was on the other side of the Fortress but getting Doomsday there would be easier said than done. Sure, Clark had gotten him all the way over here...but accelerating at a great speed and not worrying about precision is much less tedious. Doomsday is like a wild bull; if he realizes what Clark has planned he'd be smart enough to take control of the fight.

As Clark pushed himself up, he saw Doomsday do the same. Superman huffed and clenched his fists. He knew that he could let loose now. Doomsday was an abomination; an unnatural synthesised lifeform with only the desire to murder. Clark would certainly put it down if he could. The most difficult thing about Doomsday was that whatever you killed it with, it would swiftly resuscitate itself and become immune to whatever it was that caused its death...

"Okay, ugly, where were we?" Clark muttered.

He performed a leaping strike, bounding into the air and smashing a fist into Doomsday's jaw on the way down. Doomsday's face glared back with a vicious grin. It sent a knee into Clark's chin, sending him flying into the air.The monster bounded after him, raised its hands and slammed them into Superman. The blow buried Clark into the ground.

The beast spat, then threw itself at Superman. Eyes igniting, the Man of Steel zipped up into the air, sent a hand out and clutched Doomsday's neck, preemptively ending its coming body slam. With a primal scream, Clark unleashed a ludicrous amount of heat from his eyes, bathing Doomsday in extremely lethal amounts of energy.

The entire chamber was washed crimson, and massive cones of uncontrollable fire poured from Superman's eyes and tore at the grey creature's flesh.Suddenly, Doomsday fastened a hand onto Clark's face. The energy folded back onto its origin pointcand built up until it had nowhere else to go.

Bursts of red light escaped from the gaps between Doomsday's fingers, and the air around the pair fizzled and popped. The overwhelming heat caused an incredible explosion that compromised half of the Fortress' structural integrity.

The explosion tore open the kryptonian castle, sending shrapnel and waves of heat outward in a blossoming flower of destruction that melted almost anything in its path.Once again, Clark found himself fighting against the urge to blackout... He blinked rapidly, trying to regain his eyesight.An incredible force closed upon his throat and squeezed. His eyes refocused, but everything seemed to be a blood red colour.

Doomsday, his body burnt almost black and covered in soot, strangled the Man of Steel with a single hand. Clark swung an arm into Doomsday's elbow, resulting in a crack as loud as a sonic boom. The creature's arm folded irregularly and its grip loosened.

Within the passage of a second, Clark zoomed over to where he saw the Phantom Projector and desperately rummaged through the pile of rubble. His eyes were still readjusting...he couldn't use his x-ray vision.

"Bingo." He heaved the scarred device up just as he heard the enraged growling of Doomsday. Clark spun and keyed in a specific command, pointing the camera-like object at his charging foe.

The area flashed with a bizarre 'black' light, as Clark's body throbbed with what felt like lightning. When it cleared, Clark noticed that he was standing alone in a massive field of debris.At least forty percent of the Fortress was in ruins now. He then tossed the projector to the side with a heavy sigh. "And that wasn't even the main bad guy..."

He wiped the soot from his eyes and face and discovered a bead of sweat running down his face. His costume was stained with the stuff as well, dulling the once bright colours of the kryptonian uniform.

"I should've expected to see you here eventually." He heard...himself...say.

Clark slowly peered over his shoulder and saw the spitting image of himself. He was older...and wore a different costume but there was no denying that he was Kal-El as well.

"This ends now. Enough people have died." Clark threatened.

Kal-El lowered from his hover and landed with grace. "That's why I started this. You can feel it, can't you? You and I are the same."

"I would kill to prevent deaths...not out of blind revenge."

"I prevented deaths by dealing with these animals. The only language they understand is violence."

"Don't lie to me. You didn't do it for the good of mankind. You did it because you lost her. Everything was because you lost her."

The alternate Superman's eyes shone a bright red as he roared "She was taken from me!! I won't let you take her as well!!"

Clark frowned at the hypocrisy. "You've lost. Your Regime is being dismantled. You're the only one left."

Kal-El gritted his teeth as he paced anxiously back and forth. "No...no." He stopped. "I have Silvia. She's going to stay here. She's mine now."

"She doesn't belong to anyone. Especially not you."

"Not while you're alive."

Clark, exhausted and spent from his clash with Doomsday, was thrusted into the ground with a colossal impact that shook mountains. Clark growled, realizing that this Superman was a man with nothing to lose...and everything to win.

More blows like that would have the potential to start seismic events around the globe; tsunamis, earthquakes, maybe even wake dormant volcanoes. Clark had to find a way to stop him from destroying the planet, whilst being out of breath from his last encounter.

As he pushed upward, Clark instantly leapt for the Phantom Projector only to find it already in the hands of his counterpart. With minimal effort, Kal-El crushed the Projector between his palms as if it were made of tin foil. "You won't take her away from me."

Clark grimaced and heaved himself at his counterpart, the air bursting around the pair from the sheer speed. Clark tackled this alternate Superman, hurtling both of their bodies through the air like missiles. He made sure to brutally wrench a hand over Superman's eyes, while struggling to control his flight. He felt intense burning on the palm of his hand as Kal-El roared and forced the pair of kryptonians downward.

They striked a mountaintop, instantly penetrating it and passing straight through, suffering no decrease in velocity. As the snow-capped mountain shattered and came collapsing in on itself, Clark screamed in exertion. Kal was fighting his efforts to move the brawl into space...

Suddenly, Kal broke free from Clark's grapple and seized him by the neck. As he squeezed, he raised a fist, lent backwards, then sent it at Clark's chest and released the chokehold at the same time.

The rush of wind, sound and pain enveloped Clark as the punch sent him rocketing away from the Arctic at supersonic speeds. He furiously wrestled with gravity, trying to stop his wild spinning to no avail.

Thousands of miles were covered in seconds, and the Man of Steel hurtled into the base of an office building. His body destroyed support after support, the concrete and steel being no match against the force of Kal's blow combined with Clark's near invulnerability.

Clark managed to force his eyes open and saw with x-ray vision that the building was going to tip, with hundreds of people inside. There were bodies nearby him. His eyes began to water as he stared at them, horrified. He curled a fist.

Clark dashed outside and saw that he was smashed through several other buildings on the way over. Not having time to focus on that, he turned to the toppling building...but saw no one inside anymore.

"They're out, they're safe!! Take care of the building!!"

"Barry...?" Clark muttered

There on the street was The Flash...of this world... Clark didn't have time for any conversations, he had to stop that building. He inhaled, a massive gale entered his lungs, then he blew ice cold air at the bottom of the falling structure. The arctic winds instantly froze the base of the tower, securing minutes at the most.

"Someone needs to take care of this!" Clark called to Barry. "This'll only hold for--"

The next strike would've hit its mark if Clark wasn't expecting it...but he was. Kal's fist was caught in Clark's palm. Clark hissed "You're a monster. You're nothing like me."

Clark twirled Kal by his arm, spinning so rapidly that they seemed to morph into a spinning disk in the sky. He released as the daylight moon was in sight. He practiced that back home...that was exit velocity, alright. Clark took a second to brace himself, then took after his alternate self with no time to lose.

In less than a second, the blue sky faded to black, and the white spots of distant stars came into view. The moon grew, and so did a certain red and blue speck. Clark gained on the disoriented Kal-El, and unleashed a threshold of heat vision that would've instantly vaporized any planet's atmosphere in the blink of an eye.

Space was washed bright red, and Clark could hear the vibrating of Kal's throat, in attempts of pained screaming. All the while, he didn't slow down. As the energy bathed his foe, Clark flew in with a planet-killing haymaker.

A full second passed... That's what it took for Clark to shake off the disorientation caused by the sheer force and stress caused by landing such a hit. On the moon had created a brand new crater...smoking and white hot.

Clark hovered to the centre of this impact mark and landed beside Kal. He was unconscious but very much alive. At first he was terrified by how alike he and this Superman seemed... but his disregard for life showed him that they were nothing alike.

It wasn't long after that he had flown the tyrant back to Earth and cuffed him, a fair sized rock of Kryptonite hanging off of the chain and keeping him powered down. The Clark from Silvia's universe had to stay a fair distance away from it to not feel its effects and so when everyone crowded around Kal he still kept back.

Many of the Regime had been defeated and taken away, some were still on the run but would be easily found. Kal, however, was stronger than most. Him and the select few that measured up to even half his power level would have to be secured somewhere else. The Phantom Zone seemed like a viable option, but now with this worlds projector destroyed, it was proving a little more difficult.

Kal lifted his head weakly, eyes half-lidded but still full of rage. "Lex... You were my friend. I trusted you!"

"I'm sorry, Kal, but your reign of terror had to end." Lex didn't seem to regret his decision nor did he feel any guilt for it. Maybe he was just mourning the friend he once knew.

Silvia, who was standing between the crowd of heroes and Clark, couldn't believe that this was Lex Luthor. Their version was a lot less... good. The Batman from this universe was the only one standing there. Silvia was somewhat relieved that the other one hadn't been pulled through, though that also meant that he was probably monitoring things from the outside.

Batman had taken one look at her and exchanged an expression with so much hatred that it immediately weighed out her own Bruce Wayne. This time she couldn't blame him... she was the main reason that he had been living in his own personal hell for the passed few years. Silvia smirked. Something good did come out of this after all.

"I regret that it had to come to this." Bruce spoke in a voice much older than he was. "But you gave me no choice."

The glare Kal gave was dangerous despite his exhaustion. It made Silvia think he would break free of the shackles and kill them all... but he didn't. He couldn't. "It doesn't matter where you try to imprison me, Bruce. I will get out again."

Beneath his mask Bruce's face scrunched up. He had no comment. He would try to the best of his ability to make sure he's put somewhere he'll never break away from, but Superman had never been one to give into impossible scenerios.

More unfortunate than Kal-El's words was Silvia quickly approaching him. Batman felt a growl become lodged on his throat. She grabbed his arm and he turned with an annoyed look. "Barry said you'd give me time to change him... You barely gave me half a week!"

"You weren't fast enough." Was his swift, monotoned reply.

Silvia's face darkened with shadows. "I made more progress than any of you!"

"Every minute you made a little bit of progress more people died." Batman spat back. "Though I'm still against taking people from your universe. It doesn't seem right."

"Wait, then why did you-"

"I didn't." Bruce pointed towards Lex who politely, and very discreetly, bowed his head to her. "I may despise you more than anyone but I was willing to give you more time... for Clark's sake."

Batman quickly moved away from her, obviously having as little interest in her company as she had in his. Silvia felt her fists clench until her knuckles whitened. "I could have done it... He could have been the Clark you knew again." She hissed at Lex who shook his head.

"He'd never be the Clark I knew, no matter how much you changed him." Lex replied calmly, posture straight and hands behind his back. "You can fix what's broken, Miss Stone, but it'll never be good as new."

Silvia inhaled sharply, lungs zapping in the air to prevent herself from starting a fistfight. She stepped closer to him, eyes catching his in an intense glare. "You don't know that."

"Oh, but I do." Lex sighed. "You can disagree with my methods, but never question my intentions."

"If you knew the Lex from our world you would never ask that of me."

Lex smirked. "Yes... I've heard he's quite the charmer."

"Wipe that smug look off your face. I can't believe you can smile at a time like this."

"It's bittersweet, this moment. This is a victory for all of us, and the friend I once had in Clark." Lex shook his head, turning his gaze to the sky. "He may look like Superman but we lost him long before this... If you have anything to say to him then I suggest you do it. I will be sending you all back soon."

Lex moved away as well, but at least he had a reason to. Silvia glanced back at Clark who was still maintaining a suitable distance between himself and the Kryptonite. She gave him a weak smile, and just as he realised what she was doing, she disappeared into the crowd of superheroes.

Kal-El was right in the centre, head hung low and body weakened. She felt her expression drop at the sight of it and knelt right in front of him.

"I'm going to lose you again, aren't I?" He whispered lowly to her, eyes only meeting hers for the briefest of seconds... but in those dwindling moments she saw a pain unlike any other. Once he was a glass figurine, perfect to the eye, fragile underneath. Her death had ground him to the finest of dust - still glass, yet vulnerable to any gust. He still felt pain, so much raw pain, but he thought he couldn't be broken anymore... until now.

Silvia had to hold her breath to stop herself from breaking down. She never wanted to see that look on Clark's face, not even this version. "I'm... sorry..." she managed to choke out, sorrow caught in her throat. "I tried to help, like you did for me... but I couldn't. I failed you."

The whole idea of her own failure to save the man that had rescued her from her own darkness was too much. Only certain people had such a profound influence over others... only very few had that kind of power. And much like with everything else, Silvia wasn't one of them. Still she thought she'd be able to do it this once, for someone that had done it for her... she should have expected that the result would always be the same.

Silvia's eyes narrowed then her fingers twitches. Finally she found herself wrapping her arms around the weakened figure of Superman, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Sorry... I'm so sorry..." she repeated, unable to verbalise much else.

Kal leaned into her touch, only slightly able to move. "I'll break out, then I'll find you again."

Silvia's eyes widened and she pulled away from him. "No... you can't."

Instantly his eyes fired with anger once more. "So you really are picking him over me." He hissed to combat the pain in his chest. "He can't love you like I do. He can't keep you safe. That weakling doesn't know how it feels to lose you."

"And he'll never have to if I have any say in it."

Kal scoffed. "You had no say in leaving me, this time won't be any different."

It seemed pointless talking to him. He was so set in his ways, so torn apart from the events of a few years ago that it didn't look like he was willing to listen. Silvia knew she wouldn't get another opportunity again, and so she stayed beside him a little longer.

"Maybe not, but I always knew the risk and I chose to be with you anyway." Silvia sighed. "But if I had known what kind of effect I would've had on you... I don't know if I would have stayed."

He looked up again but this time it wasn't just him. In the distance Clark was listening too and she could sense his eyes on her. Both of them were hurt but her Clark was most certainly still overwhelmed by this world... maybe he was thinking the same thing.

"I understand killing the Joker, he was a lost cause. I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same thing, but for this to continue the way it has..." Silvia tried to continue but she struggled to put it into words. "It's wrong, Kal. Innocent people are suffering... people that stood up for you when the world was afraid of an alien with impossible powers were repaid with more fear. The criminals that changed their ways because of the second chance you gave them were killed for the laws they broke in their youth."

"It was for the greater good. I was protecting this world, keeping them all alive and safe."

"This is no life. A world of fear isn't worth living in at all... This is the universe my father would have created, the one he created for me when I was young." Silvia's hand touched the side of his face gently, forcing out each sentence in one last effort to get him to listen. "Surely you can see that this dictatorship you've made is an insult to the Silvia that died fighting for a world without fear."

Then she saw it again, the light in his eyes that proved that part of the Clark she knew remained buried inside of him.

"Even if I'm not here, I'll be rooting for you." She smiled, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "Everyone deserves a second chance, that's what you taught me, so it's only fair that someone that once brought so much security and joy to the world deserves one too. You've always beaten the odds before, a cell isn't going to stop you... make me proud, Clark. Show them why I fell in love with you, not the result of your loss."

She doubted that one small goodbye would change him but at the very least she had given it one last shot. Her fingers grazed across his cheek, to his lips, then finally, away from his face entirely as she stood back up.

"It's time to go." Lex said behind her and she couldn't ignore the twinge of guilt that contracted beneath her ribs.

Silvia gave Kal one final wave and the hero looked defeated after that. Unsure of what to do, and whether he was right or wrong. The questioning was more than he was doing before though, even now he was making progress.

The walk over to the people from her own world, and to Clark who towered above all of them, was a long one. It was both a relief and a sadness at the same time. She wanted to get away from this world but she still couldn't shake the feeling that she'd failed the man that she loved... both versions.

Clark held his hand out towards her and she quickly took it. They both equally needed the support but when they got back she knew it would be tense. He was just as scared as she was, maybe even more so, of the possible future that didn't seem too far away.


	43. Forty-Three

**_Chapter Forty-Three: Parallel Lives_**

The rain fell softly as if it knew of the hardships both behind and ahead. Each droplet alighted on Silvia's skin with just enough coolness to command her mind to the present, to pull her away from the pain of the past and the uncertainty of what was to come. The beads over her face, more numerous than even the scars in her skin, joined to wash over her in a delicate cascade of trickles. She raised her eyes to the grey layer that touched every mountain top, there was more to come before the skies cleared, of that she could be sure.

"Sil?" A voice came from the apartment behind her and she hesitantly turned at the sound. Clark stood there still draped in red, blue, and yellow. Soon after they had arrived back he had to leave again to defend Metropolis. They hadn't had a chance to speak about what they saw yet. "What are you doing out in the rain?"

Silvia's arms moved to hug herself and she shrugged, avoiding any form of eye contact with the man. "I don't know... It helps me think."

That same kind smile spread across his lips, small but still visible as he stepped towards her and out into the downpour. "You'll get a cold if you stay out here."

She shook her head. "It takes a lot more than this to get me sick, you know that."

"Well, it's still not a risk I'm willing to take." Clark unclipped his cape and held it over Silvia's head to cover her from the rain. It all seemed rather pointless to her seeing as she was already soaked. "I know you don't like me fussing over you but-"

"I don't know, compared to the other Superman you're pretty tame." It was meant as a joke but it fell short. It only reminded them of what had happened... and that there was still a lot they needed to discuss.

Clark sighed, trying to maintain the same glow he always had. He forced the smile back on and nodded towards his apartment. "Come on. Let's get inside before it turns into a storm."

She obliged but only because being outside wasn't making her decision any easier. She needed to talk to Clark about it... to try and make sure this world didn't end up like the other.

As soon as she was inside Clark already had a towel in hand and draped it over her shoulders. It was warm... much warmer than the usual towel. She had to wonder what he had done to it to make it that way without setting it on fire.

"Sorry I took so long. Bruce wanted to... talk about something." Clark started, disappearing for no longer than a minute or so before re-emerging out of his costume and in a loose pair of pajama pants... no shirt. Why did he have to make everything so distracting?

"About the other world?" Silvia quickly replied, knowing very well what someone like Bruce Wayne would want to discuss.

Clark was hesitant to agree, obviously thinking it better to avoid the topic no matter how many times she brought it up. Silvia couldn't blame him. She could see that he was having an inner conflict he'd prefer not to converse with her over.

"Why didn't he ask me?" She pressed on.

"He... wanted to." Clark finally revealed."I asked him not to."

Silvia frowned. "Why?"

"You don't need to be reminded of what happened there. We were only in that universe a few hours but I could already sense the League's terror... and their loss of hope." Clark sighed. "You were there almost a week... I can't imagine what you went through."

"It... wasn't exactly the highlight of my life but Bruce might need to know what I saw." Silvia moved the towel up to her head and started rubbing it against her hair to dry it. "You don't have to worry about me... I've seen worse, or I've done worse."

"You've changed since then, Sil. Things like this can still bother you... I saw the way you looked at me when I finally got to you, it was like you were scared of me."

"I wasn't scared of you... I just didn't know which version you were."

Clark's eyes locked onto hers intensely. "Because you were scared. You don't have to try and act tough around me... I was scared too."

Silvia let out an uneven exhale. "I know you were..."

"And something tells me that even if you hadn't changed your mindset you wouldn't have agreed with the world you saw."

"I wouldn't be so sure. If that Superman had told me about the drop in crime rate I would have... you just think too highly of me, Clark. That universe is exactly the world I would have created if I had your power." Silvia shivered. "That's what makes it so terrifying... I did that to you."

Clark's expression suddenly dropped, lips tightening into a thin line and breath becoming shallow. "Don't be silly, you didn't do anything. That Superman chose to turn his back on the beliefs that kept us grounded, his Silvia wasn't at fault, and you're certainly not either."

"But what if I am one day. What if that future we saw is just a glimpse at what's to come?"

The man of steel fell silent, and in that moment he didn't look so invincible anymore. He looked worried, broken, and almost defeated at the prospect of that world becoming their reality. It had been weighing on his mind too, and it was a thought that he could never quite shake.

The look on his face was so heartbreaking that Silvia's own expression mimicked his perfectly, as if she felt every single twinge of pain that Clark did. "That's why I need to see Bruce, if what I know can at least prepare for that future then I have to help."

Clark still seemed reluctant and instead of agreeing, he placed both hands on either side of her shoulders and urged her to glance up at him. "Then tell me and I'll let Bruce know."

"I don't think I should-"

"If you don't tell me then Bruce definitely won't." Clark breathed heavily. "I need to know, Sil."

The air around her thinned. It was like she couldn't get enough gulps of air to fill her lungs. It wasn't something she wanted to talk about, least of all to him, but with how dire the circumstances had been Silvia felt like she had little choice. "I don't know where to start..."

"Well you said a lot of our friends died, why don't you start there?"

"There's not much to say about it." Silvia began, trying not to look as bothered as she was about it. "Green Arrow died, so did Deathstroke."

Clark raised a dark eyebrow at this one. He knew Silvia shouldn't have been too upset about it, but she looked disturbed.

"I was there when he died... or was killed." Silvia shivered. "I might have enjoyed watching it a few years ago, but now?..."

Clark's thumb ran over her shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay, Sil. If it's too much then you don't have to keep talking about it."

"No, I do." She replied lowly. "Kori was dead as well, so was Dick and... Billy. I was there when he died too."

Clark wanted to ask how, and who could do such a thing to someone like Billy. Something told him that he already knew what had happened though and he was too scared to ask.

"I can't even begin to explain how awful that universe was, and I hope you understand that I'm going to do anything within my power to prevent it from happening to us." Silvia finally said, front teeth digging into her bottom lip.

"Of course I understand, I'm going to do the exact same thing. You won't be alone in this."

"Does us being together not bother you even after everything that we saw?" Silvia questioned, admittedly bewildered by his response.

Clark appeared slightly confused but answered regardless. "If anything it's convinced me that I'll have to stay closer to you. If I try not to wander too far away I'll always be able to hear if you're in danger, especially if a criminal's around."

Silvia's eyes automatically narrowed at Clark, uncertainty swimming within the silver speckled irises. "... What exactly did Lex tell you about their Silvia's death?"

"He told me enough. That she was pregnant and Metropolis was destroyed with her."

"Did he tell you who killed her?"

Clark fell silent for a second before shaking his head slightly. "I heard you talking so I assumed it was Joker... it's not exactly something I wanted to know."

She dug her hands into her pockets awkwardly, considering whether she should just keep it that way or not. She couldn't. He wouldn't understand what she was about to do if he didn't know. "That's not the whole truth..."

Clark's brow furrowed at her and now she it was obvious that she had to continue. There was no room to back away now.

"I just want you to keep in mind that it wasn't your... or his fault." Silvia said in a panic. "No one's blaming Superman for what happened over there."

"What isn't his fault?" Clark said in a worried tone. "What are you saying?"

"W-Well... it was Joker's plan and everything." Silvia continued, now realising that she had no idea how she was going to tell him. "He used a concentrated sleeping powder to knock me out, he had altered it to work against my durability. Then he killed Scarecrow and stole his fear gas..."

"But fear gas wouldn't have killed you..."

"No, it didn't." Silvia took a deep breath, working up every scrap of courage in her body. "He laced it with Kryptonite, Clark. Not enough to effect Superman's abilities but enough to weaken his mind against the toxin. It made him see things, hallucinate about his worst terrors."

Clark looks even more confused now, as if he was trying to figure out the conclusion to this story before it was said. The idea was so unthinkable that Silvia doubted he'd get there.

"He thought Doomsday had broken into the submarine Joker was holding her in... all he could think about was protecting Silvia, and so he tried to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"But he wasn't there, was he?" Clark's gaze dropped sadly. All the sorrow he had held back over the years felt like it was coming to the surface. He bit his lip and still managed to suppress it. "While Superman was distracted Joker killed her and blew up Metropolis..."

"No... he was operating on Silvia. He connected the bomb to her heart so that the moment it stopped beating Metropolis would be destroyed." Silvia gulped. "Superman flew Doomsday out of the atmosphere, and into space. Where he knew Doomsday would survive but not be able to return for a decent period of time... but it wasn't Doomsday. It was Silvia."

Clark froze. Every muscle in his body visibly tensed beneath his skin. His eyes were burning and his chest felt heavy as if it was suddenly filled with lead. His mind, at first, couldn't comprehend what she had said. He couldn't understand it so his mind tried desperately to find a different translation for her words. When he couldn't it was like everything broke through at once. The dam he had built up to prevent his worries drowning him sprung a leak, then collapsed altogether.

The emptiness in his heart, the numbness pounding his brain, the salty tears that flowed unchecked from his eyes, the shear nothingness that now took hold of his soul threatened to engulf him entirely. His legs buckled, knees sinking into the carpet. "No... That can't be true... I'd never-"

Silvia quickly leaned down to his level, reaching her hands out to touch either side of his face. She wiped his tears away with her thumbs but they were only replaced with more. "It wasn't his fault, Joker tricked him... don't beat yourself up over something you haven't done yet."

She tried to comfort him but her words rung hollow. There was hope before she had told him this. Just a tiny flicker against the wind. With the open eyes of a child he had reached out, naively thinking that he could change things but this had sent him spiralling back to reality. Silvia embraced him, arms holding onto him so tightly that if he were a weaker being it may have even hurt.

"I'm sorry, Clark... I just thought you had more of a right to know than I did."

Clark's shoulders trembled in response just before he pushed himself away from her. "I... I need some time alone..." He said in an uneven voice. She could hear that he was still trying to keep himself carefully glued together but it wasn't working.

He left through the window that day. Into the downpour that saturated his body to match the tears streaming down his cheeks. Soon you couldn't even tell that he was crying, it just looked like rain dripping down his face.

Silvia sighed, posture hunching forward like she'd just been kicked in the stomach. It felt that way. Her entire being was aching with sorrow. She thought she had heard his heart break in those few brief sobs, and hers shattered right along with it.

"Goodbye, Clark." She whispered to the slowly disappearing figure. She knew that he could hear her, and that he knew what it meant. Still he kept going, not even halting at the farewell.


	44. Forty-Four

**_Chapter Forty-Four: Diana of Themyscira_**

Warlords weren't within her usual MO, but Silvia had to make an exception this once. She'd been staying in an overpopulated South African town for the last few weeks, doing her part as the Reaper to take care of criminals and thugs threatening the good people there.

It turned out that the large number of missing children reported to local law enforcement were kidnapped by a militant group and being turned into child soldiers...and Silvia wasn't going to let that happen. A lot of the families she had met had nothing but their children, and now some dirtbag was stealing them. It made her angry.

At the moment, Silvia was holding onto the undercarriage of a truck supposedly belonging to this group. It had been driving for approximately fifteen minutes so far, and Silvia was barely feeling any aching in her tensed arms at all. She just hoped that the info about this truck was correct and that this wasn't a waste of time.

Silvia then felt the truck come to a sudden halt... The cab doors opened and the driver leapt out, planting his feet firmly on the ground. With a bored trot, he paced away from the vehicle, not unloading the cargo stashed in the back.

The Reaper rolled from beneath the truck and melted into the shadows like a ghost, behind a massive stack of shipping containers. The driver just wrenched open the door to one of the several warehouses on the other side of the courtyard.

Not being one for excessive stealth, Silvia bounded after him like a leopard, covering the distance in superhuman speed. Milliseconds before the door swung closed, Silvia snatched it and slipped inside. The driver paused but before he turned around, The Reaper sprung up, wrapped an arm around his neck and fastened a hand over his mouth. The man flailed madly, but Silvia had no trouble subduing him as he grasped onto consciousness.

Limp, the body dropped to the ground, and Silvia sent her eyes up. This place was laden with weapon crates and military hardware...and a dozen militants standing there and staring at her.

"Ah. Fuck."

The men roared, unleashing a hail of bullets as they dove behind cover. Silvia launched herself at a support strut, scaled up it like an ape, and traced along the latticed beams. Once behind the enemy's cover, Silvia pulled her two pistols from her leg holsters and fired a dozen consecutive shots as she swept them around in a precise motion.

All at once, the mercenaries screamed in agony, collapsing and clutching their legs. One of them still had the willpower to snatch out his radio and screech eager commands at it.Not being fluent in Afrikaans, Silvia was left puzzled by the sudden intense screaming. Until, that was, an extremely loud crash made her jump and bring her guns back into action.

A...tank just rammed itself into the warehouse. It stopped, then the turret rotated to stick Silvia in its sights. With an ear-shredding boom, the main cannon discharged, bringing down the entire warehouse with its explosive power.

Silvia was thrown from the site by the incredible force, glad that the gunner's aim was slightly off. Less glad, however, that she wasn't expecting a tank...and that this maniac just killed twelve of his friends trying to kill her. She landed on her back in the dirt, sighing "Man, talk about overkill."

The whirling of the tank's engine sounded as it pushed free of the debris, straight for Silvia. Suddenly, it grinded to a halt, howling in strain. It then seemed to hover about six feet into the air... Silvia quickly realised what was actually going on.A woman stood proud and strong, heaving the armoured vehicle over her head like it weighed as much as a straw basket. Diana's confident stare met Silvia's eyes and she flashed a warm smile.

"Fancy seeing you here." Diana quipped.

"...H-Hey. Wasn't expecting a tank. So you make jokes now?" Silvia said, pulling to her feet.

Without a single mote of exertion, Wonder Woman casually tossed the tank to her side, planting her hands on her hips. Superman would never have done something like that; there were militants inside the tank, so he would've set it down softly. It seemed that Wonder Woman wasn't as concerned as Clark was for those who choose to act wrongly.

As she stood there, Silvia stared at her bare arms, legs and shoulders...and was once again hypnotised by her the sheer strength radiated by her muscled stature.

"I always joke. Maybe you just need to get to know me." Silvia was a full head or two... or three shorter than the Amazon princess, who was about Superman's height. That paired with her musculature made her one imposing woman. She was taller than Batman... "I've been wanting to speak with you."

"Uh...really?" Silvia responded in a weak yelp.

"Perhaps over dinner? Once we take those children to safety, of course. They're in the building behind us." Diana said, an air of friendliness in her voice.

Silvia's breath hitched. "...Dinner? With me...?"

\--

Silvia had stayed away from major cities during her time in South Africa but Diana insisted that she join her for dinner at a fancy French restaurant in Johannesburg. They had just ordered their food, and were waiting for it to be brought out. Silvia was unnerved by this fancy establishment...and the fact that she was sitting opposite one of the strongest beings on the planet.

Diana was wearing a tidy black skirt, a loose white button-up shirt that masked her impressive physique and a pair of circular-rimmed glasses. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail. Despite efforts to blend in, Silvia still thought Diana stuck out like a sore thumb due to her size.

Silvia noticed that she was fiddling with a worn scrap of paper. "What's that?"

Diana smiled sweetly and passed her the old photograph. "His name is Steve Trevor...Colonel Steve Trevor."

Silvia plucked the small picture out of her hand and gazed at it. It was a very worn photo of a blonde man with a charming smile and rugged good looks. "Wow...he's...pretty hot."

"I was never one for technology...so I just keep that with me."

"How did you guys meet?" Silvia asked, after taking a sip of coke through a straw.

Diana took the pair of glasses off of her face, finally unable to contain her annoyance at them, and set them on the table. "He crashed his plane on Themyscira, the island home of the Amazons. He helped me foil the plans of Ares, God of War, and his planned conquest of Man's World.

"Oh. That's...different."

"There were no men on our island; the Amazons despised mankind. I was...young and curious of the outside world...I suppose he represented that for me."

"So he was the first man you ever met? And you fell for him?"

Diana laughed. "Hey now..."

"I bet your mom wasn't happy about that."

"Oh she was livid. Even more so when I left with him."

"Where is he now?"

"He died." Diana spoke, her voice soft and silken.

Instantly Silvia's heart sank in her chest. Her mouth opened and closed then opened again in shock at the sudden news. "O-Oh... I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"There is no need. I am grateful to have met him, and though losing him hurt more than words can explain, I am at peace with it. Love is ruthless like that. It will give you great happiness and unbearable pain in less than an instant... You need to learn to live with both or deny yourself of the beauty it can give you." Diana smiled reassuringly, eyes glazing over the picture of Steve with a sad longing deep within them. "but enough about me, how have you been?"

Silvia stammered "I-I'm good. Yeah. How are you?"

Diana shook her head with a smirk. "You should know better than to lie to me."

"Y-You mean..."

"I know what happened with Clark. Talk to me." She laid her hand onto Silvia's and gripped it firmly. Silvia wasn't used to this physical contact at all... Diana was so compassionate and caring underneath that fierce exterior and it was so confusing for Silvia, seeing as she saw Diana impale and kill a kryptonian a few months ago. "I know you still love him."

"...I-I do." Silvia whispered, being sure that no one heard her speaking about mushy stuff. "...That's why I had to. I-I can't do it...knowing that could happen."

Diana took another sip from her glass of wine, keeping her other hand on Silvia's. When she was done, she fastened this other hand on Silvia's hand too. "So you're denying what you feel based on a possibility?"

Silvia bit her lip. She was already finding it hard without Diana's logical reasoning, but the possibility was too terrifying for her to ignore.

"I've been to my fair share of alternate Earths. There's a world where Clark crash landed in Soviet Russia and became a devout communist." Diana continued.

Silvia scrunched up her face and muttered "...What...? Really?"

"He was best friends with Josef Stalin." Diana nodded. "So let me ask you a question. Is Clark a communist here?"

"Um...no...?"

"Are you afraid of him becoming a communist?"

"...No...?"

"Then it's simple. That is not your Clark."

Silvia sighed. The simplicity of the argument struck her...maybe she was worrying too much.

Diana finally released her grasp on Silvia's hand and nodded confidently. "You both deserve to have each other."

Silvia was touched. She was really trying not to gush but she couldn't help it. "Diana...that really...thanks. I just don't know if I'm ready after all of that..."

"Take some time. Would you like more to drink?"

"Oh I-I'm okay, thanks. Did you really come all the way out here to make sure I was okay?" Silvia continued in hushed tones.

"I know how you must feel. The situation at hand is conflicting, yes, but it also brings all your other concerns to light. You wonder how you could possibly be enough for a being like that...and if you are strong enough to pick them up when they fall. Because if you aren't, it's more than just your love that will be at risk. Quite possibly the lives of thousands."

Silvia glanced at the empty table. She didn't trust herself, that she'd be able to stop Clark from doing those things even if she lived through it. "...Is mind reading a thing you can do now?"

Diana sighed softly. "Steve. There was this fractured timeline...we called it the 'Flashpoint'. There, my counterpart led my Amazon sisters on a terrible war against Atlantis; against Aquaman...my friend. I strangled Steve to death. I murdered thousands, and ordered the murders of hundreds of thousands. At least that twisted Clark sought peace. This version of me wanted conquest and the elimination of all enemies of Themyscira."

Silvia's breathing hitched as Diana continued. "Part of Steve's job was to liaise between the League and the US government; to ensure that both are on the same page, without forcing control of course. That means the explanation of our exploits and sharing what we know. When he learned about this one in particular...about the atrocities that I was capable of, he was frightened of that responsibility. He only thought of himself as a man, an ordinary man. Not someone who can calm an Amazon Champion."

"...What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I've learnt a great deal from my time in man's world, one of the most important things is that too many waste their time fearing, and forget to live."

Silvia glanced at the floor, trying to avoid Diana's sky blue eyes. Her heart was set but her mind urged her to stay away from Clark. Diana oozed inspiration; an aura from her presence and speech that could make one person feel like they could take on the world. In the way that Clark could calm you and make you believe a man can fly, Diana made you feel like a man, or woman, could hold the weight of the world on their shoulders.

"Diana..." Silvia felt the name slip from her lips, conflict still obvious in her tone.

Diana smiled sweetly and responded with a wink. "Say no more. The food is on its way."

Their immense conversation had made the time pass very quickly, their meals were both ushered to the table by a meticulously dressed waiter. Diana had ordered before Silvia had arrived, so one could imagine her face when the waiter set down a plate of something that she had never seen before. The waiter declared in a glorious French accent that this was the entree.

"Escargot." Diana pronounced elegantly. The waiter zoomed away and left the two women to the dish.

Silvia grimaced. "English?"

"Snails."

Silvia stared at the plate of steaming, cooked and seasoned snails.

Diana chuckled "You're brave enough to date an alien but not to add yet another Earth animal to the big list of ones that you've already eaten?"

"...I forget that he's an alien sometimes. And it's a little complicated right now." Silvia said, impaling one of the pieces with her fork and pulling it off into her mouth with her teeth.She had no idea how to describe the taste...but she didn't want to vomit, much to her dismay. "Oh god. Why do I like this?"

Silvia's main was the first to arrive. The waiter declared "Beef bourguignon." as he elegantly laid the dish before Silvia, whose eyes instantly lunged at Diana.

"...Really?"

"I know you like it too. We talk at work, you know."

"Not the point...I'm meant to be conflicted." Silvia retorted, mouth half full of the delicious meat. Its taste just reminded her of Clark and she suddenly missed him. Silvia was sure that was Diana's intention.

Diana's food was a rather large seafood platter that she insisted Silvia share with her, but the latter was a bit too filling to consider any more food. Plus, she had never liked seafood to begin with.

Diana ate with a certain elegance, whilst Silvia hacked her beef apart like it was a steak from the local pub. It was already late, so by the time the two had finished their meals and began talking again, they were the only patrons left. Chairs were beginning to be stacked onto tables and the floors mopped.

"Tell me about you and Clark. Did you guys ever...you know...get together?" Silvia asked, now full of alcohol.Diana also had her fair share of wine, but her Amazon physiology prevented her from being affected by such things.

"It was after Steve's death, and Clark had always been one of my greatest allies. As two of the strongest beings on Earth, we felt like it was an obvious match. We could be...physical...without any serious dangers." She laughed. "But it was about much more than that."

"Wow. So...do you...still...want to be with him?" Silvia asked quietly, nervous.

Diana shook her head. "Even at the time, I still mourned for Steve and Clark knew that. We understood each other well because we were so alike, and he said that people like us want and need a human side; a grounded perspective on things. We can't afford to be disconnected from who we're fighting for. The cost would be too great. My connection was Steve... and his is you."

Silvia sighed in relief. There was no competing with Wonder Woman in anything.

The warrior princess elaborated "And it couldn't work. It began to affect our work and that wasn't something that either of us wanted. So we're best friends now. Nothing more."

From anybody else, Silvia would've doubted it but Diana had this compelling aura of genuineness, like it was impossible for her to lie...much like Clark. "Thanks for telling me. Most people I've met would never even mention that." Silvia told Diana smoothly.

Diana looked back into Silvia's idolising eyes with a smile. "And please, regardless of what you choose to do now...thank you for being there for Clark. Even Superman needs someone to come home to."

Silvia felt her eyes glaze over but quickly wiped them against her shirt. Her heart was broken, she missed Clark, and on top of that Diana's compassion was impossible to not be overwhelmed by. "You don't need to thank me for something like that. I should be thanking him... I thought my heart was dead and buried before I met Clark. Me being there was for my own selfish reasons."

"Our selfish reasons to make the ones we love happy are sometimes all that keep them going." Diana's smile was soft, understanding and full of honesty. It made Silvia think that she felt similarly about Steve. "Whatever you decide, I'm here for you if you need me... Besides, I'm not the only one that's missing you. Dick is so worried he looks paler most days, and Kori is still trying to find you."

Silvia sighed guiltily. "I didn't want them to know I was leaving. They'd try to stop me otherwise."

"Well then I won't tell them where you are, but give what I've said some thought. If we lock ourselves up because of what might happen, then we'll never truly be living."

Her words were always so inspirational to Silvia. She could say 'hello' and the blonde would drown in a pool of her own tears. She supposed that Diana was a natural leader, and so part of that would include being good with her words. Still, it had just made Silvia miss Clark even more, and despite Wonder Woman's visit, she wasn't sure if she could push herself to go back. Any risk on Clark's life, or his mentality, wasn't one she was willing to take.


	45. Forty-Five

**_Chapter Forty-Five: Odd Flowers for an Odd Girl_**

The sidewalk was hot enough to fry her breakfast on. It was high noon and the sun beat down with unrestrained brutality, a few withering trees cast patches of pathetic shade onto the baked tarmac but even that provided no relief. The last thing that Silvia felt like doing was patrol the streets but the area she lived in was always being attacked. She may have initially arrived there to avoid Clark but she needed to fight crime no matter where she was. It was in her blood.

Luckily, it seemed like she was the only one stupid enough to be walking around in such unbearable weather. Even some of the soldiers had taken cover in nearby sources of shade or in their houses. She could endure more than most people, but even she was starting to feel it effecting her stamina.

The lack of activity in the area gave her time to think, which was something she usually tried to avoid. Her mind had wandered back to her conversation with Diana, and worst of all, to Clark.

She missed him so much... She missed the way his smile could brighten up the world, she missed his eyes that were so impossibly blue that even glasses couldn't completely hide their colour, and she missed how he always seemed to know what she was thinking.

More than any of that though, it was the little things that had her heart aching to see him. Like the way he crossed his arms with his right arm on top when he was serious, and with his left when he was joking. How he disliked action movies, and despite pointing out the unrealistic scenes, he'd watch them for her anyway. She even missed the way he looked at her when she said something stupid; like he couldn't believe that she had said it out loud.

Every step on the sidewalk would bring a new memory, things she didn't even realise she knew about Clark. On her way home it got worse. She passed numerous broken down houses, and she remembered that Clark use to double-knot his shoelaces. A kid stepped outside to pour cold water over his face, and Silvia recalled that Clark always put his pants on before his shirt.

Silvia saw her small shack come into view.

Though Clark didn't need to sleep, he liked to anyway, and he always snored. Surprisingly lightly for someone so powerful, but still audible to Silvia. It use to keep her up but now she found it hard to sleep without the sound.

She took out the rusty keys from her pocket and struggled to fit them into the lock.

Whenever they watched a movie with animals in it he would start randomly stating facts that he learnt on the farm.

The door was pushed open and she stepped inside with a sigh, throwing the keys on a nearby bench and leaning against the wooden surface. She didn't even bother shutting the door, any ventilation from outside was an improvement on the breathless heat inside her new home.

Clark always walked a step ahead of her, as if he was always prepared to protect her despite knowing that she was one of the last people that needed protecting. Silvia would always try and jump ahead, annoyed at being treated like a weakling. Now she understood that he was just doing it because he cared.

Silvia pushed herself back up straight and walked into the kitchen. She gave a breathy exhale and looked into the almost empty fridge. Ketchup... An apple... Yogurt... and that was it. She pulled out the yogurt and apple, placing them on the counter and starting to cut up he fruit.

"Sil." That's what he always called her. She could swear that even now she could hear his voice. The soft tone that came with the name still ring in her head.

"Sil." The word was repeated and Silvia whirled around. She wasn't sure what she expected, but seeing Superman standing in her doorway wasn't it.

The blonde dashed over to the front of her house, eyes wide in disbelief. "Are you crazy?!" She whispered with an attempt to tug him inside and out of the public's eye.

She failed, of course. Her pulling barely made him budge but he took the hint and paced a few steps forward for her. Silvia glanced outside quickly to make sure no one had seen Superman entering her house, then swiftly slammed the door closed.

She turned on her heels, stopping when her eyes met that of the deepest blue she had ever known. The sight relaxed her but she tried to avoid showing physical signs of that. Clark was in his costume, black hair slicked back and hands behind him.

"What... What are you doing here?" Silvia finally managed to stammer out, breath hitching in her lungs.

Clark gulped, something that he rarely did. It was uncommon that he ever felt nervous, and if he ever was he hid it well. His hands were brought into view and he held a bouquet of flowers Silvia had never seen before. They were green and seemed to glow with their own supernatural light. They didn't have leaves, just vines that waved through the air as if they were alive.

Silvia stared at them completely speechless. She wasn't sure whether to poke them curiously or run away screaming.

Superman took a deep breath and then flashed that charming smile of his, pushing down the anxiety that came with it. "They're flowers from a planet I recently visited. On our world, baking soda seems to sustain them fairly well."

"You mean... I have to 'water' them with baking soda?"

Clark chuckled. "You're the first person to ever see them besides me, there's probably other things you could use but I wouldn't risk it. They're pretty fussy."

Superman extended the gift a little farther out towards her, urging the girl to take them. She bit her lip with uncertainty, but regardless, she still reached out to grab hold of the bouquet. "Couldn't have just gotten me roses, Dorothy?"

Clark's expression softened even more at the nickname. "Roses die, these don't... besides, you never really liked flowers."

"So, you got me alien flowers instead?" Silvia asked, tilting her head to the side oddly. It wasn't that she hadn't been grateful for the gesture, she just didn't understand how that worked in his mind.

"No." Clark said, stepping closer to her. "I got you something that no one else could."

Silvia could smell him now. A scent that had missed with all of her being. One that reminded her of sunlight and fresh air in Autumn. She shivered, bringing the flowers closer to her chest as she felt her throat start to dry. She tried to push away the warm feeling that seeped through her body... It was already hot enough without him making her chest set aflame.

"Yeah... alien flowers." Silvia forced out, quirking her lips to a playful smirk. "Still count as flowers."

Clark returned the smile, shaking his head in defeat. "You just had to ruin the mood, didn't you? I'm trying to be romantic."

"Too bad. You know that romance isn't my thing either, kind of like flowers." Silvia teased, gesturing to the alien plant. "But thank you. This was... very sweet."

Clark could hear her struggling to use the word 'sweet'. It just wasn't something that was usually in her vocabulary. Nor were things like 'cute', or even 'love'. He knew that she was actively trying to use them despite this though, but he could always tell that it almost choked in her throat every time.

"You're welcome, Sil." Clark said softly, voice full of affection.

The sound made the girl's heart sink. What was happening? It was like they had both forgotten that they were no longer together, or at least she had. He had that effect on her, like the world could be falling apart and it'd still feel right if he was there with her... as fucked up as that sounds.

Silvia turned her back to the man and went back into the kitchen to find a vase for the flowers. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but is there a reason you decided to visit me?"

She sensed Superman appear next to her and she glanced down to see him holding up a brand new vase for her. He always did think of everything...

"I needed to speak to you." Was his answer as she took the glass from his hand with a grateful nod.

"Why? Is something wrong?" She asked, placing the flowers inside and putting them on a table close by. Though she wasn't much into anything floral, she had to admit that they were beautiful.

"I suppose you could say that." He extended a hand out to touch her shoulder. Silvia froze at the feeling. "I know it took me a lot longer than it should have, but I want to discuss our relationship now."

"There's nothing to discuss." Silvia shrugged off his hand and turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm here and you're in Metropolis. It shouldn't be too hard to avoid each other this way."

Clark frowned, his eyes dimming of their light for a moment. "I don't want to keep avoiding you though, Sil."

The world around her seemed to halt for a second. Her mouth opened then closed again, as if she couldn't decide whether she had an appropriate reply or not. When she did speak her voice trailed slowly, like her words were unwilling to take flight. There was a sadness in her eyes, the silver too glossy. "There's no other way... I can't run into you every time I leave the house, whether it be in person or on a billboard... I just can't."

"And I can't live in a city that reminds me of you if you're not there, Sil." Clark answered, and now he was too close for her to walk away. "Nothing feels right now that you're gone... Look, I thought we were doing the right thing by staying apart but now I'm certain that we're doing the exact opposite."

Silvia's head snapped up, eyes wide and pupils dilating. He couldn't possibly be implying what she thought he was... "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I should never have let you leave." Clark's voice was immediately lower than before, full of undeniable emotion. "I'm saying that I want you to come back... to come home."

The glossiness in Silvia's almost sprung forth but she blinked any tears that threatened to build in her eyes. She bit her lip. She'd dreamed about hearing him say that for almost two months now... but that's all it could ever be, a dream. "B-But... you saw what might happen if we're together. I won't risk destroying you and everything you stand for."

The air around her felt hollow, rejecting the idea was so painful that she could barely feel the heat anymore. Clark, however, didn't back down. "It doesn't matter how far away you are, my feelings for you won't just disappear. Whether you're dating me or someone else, if you died I'd grieve in the same way. Staying away doesn't help anything, we're just torturing ourselves over something that hasn't happened."

For the first time in months Silvia felt her heart skip and the pain of losing him dull down. Still, she shook her head with a shaky exhale. "Over something that might happen..."

"I spoke to the League... and to my father." Clark started, watching Silvia's face twist into confusion. "My real father, a hologram in the Fortress of solitude." She still didn't seem to understand the concept but he simply brushed it off. "I'll explain later. Anyway I've realised that if we let slip the things that we care about most then we'll eventually forget what we're fighting for. I won't turn into the Superman that we saw... I know that now because you wouldn't want me to. The thought of you being scared of me, Sil... That will stop me even if you're gone."

She felt her chest swell with affection for him, and now it was harder than ever to turn him away.

"I won't let that happen though." Clark continued, hands lightly gripping her arms. "I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you."

Silvia bit her lip, fingers twitching to touch him. Any walls she had started to reconstruct around her heart came tumbling down. She loved him too much to stay away, deep down she knew that her selfishness would prevail. A watery smile edged on her lips.

"I think it's you that needs protecting, Man of Steel. I can handle myself." Her voice cracked with emotion, eyes finally meeting his once more like the moon reflecting off of the ocean's blue surface. "You may be invincible but I've seen you hurting more than most."

Clark felt the whisper of a laugh leave his throat. It was small, and abrupt, but it left him grinning from ear to ear. "I should have known you wouldn't accept me wanting to take care of you... but you're right. You don't need protecting, but I'm going to anyway because I need you. Physically I can demolish almost anything or anyone, but mentally... I'm not as strong as people think I am. You're the only one that can take care of me in that way, Sil. I need you more than you need me."

There was no stopping her tears now despite her best efforts. They fluttered onto her eyelashes in small drops, and no matter how many times she blinked they wouldn't disappear. "I wouldn't exactly say that, Dorothy." She shivered, letting go of any restraint she had and wrapping her arms around his waist. "You're the only person I need in this world."


	46. Forty-Six

**_Chapter Forty-Six: Under the Same Roof_**

Metropolis was as busy and bustling as it had been when Silvia left. Honestly, she had never gotten use to South Africa so she was relieved to return to the city she grew up in. The weather was a lot more preferable there too. Instead of being engulfed in sweat, Silvia could feel the newly damp air sinking, bringing a delicate awareness of her skin that she hadn't had for a while.

Clark's apartment kept in most of the cold which, for the moment at least, was welcome. If it ever became a nuisance though she knew she could just stand close to Clark and instantly feel his warmth. The lucky bastard didn't feel the cold or the heat.

Silvia grunted and jumped to press one side of laminated paper against the wall. The blu-tack stuck to the surface and kept it there. She sighed in contentment, stepping back with her hands on her hips to look at her handy work. Posters were now splayed against one side of the bedroom wall, all of classic action movie heroes.

Clark, who had to leave for a brief meeting with the Justice League, returned to find Silvia standing proud in front of the pictures. His eyes widened. When Clark had asked her to live with him he hadn't thought about her obvious obsession... Somehow he felt a little silly for not foreseeing this.

The contrast was immediately apparent. Clark's (and now Silvia's) room was spotless and fairly reserved. There was nothing inside apart from the necessities - a bed, clothes and a wardrobe to put them in. It reflected him well, but now Silvia's influence clashed with the previous simplicity. Never did Clark think that the day would come when he would be greeted by Arnold Schwarzenegger's face upon arriving home... even less that the poster would be watching him sleep.

It took much longer than it usually would for Silvia to sense his presence, she was too lost in admiration for the action movie collage she had created.

Her blonde hair whipped quickly through the air as she turned, eyes beaming and mouth stretched into a grin. "Welcome back, Dorothy!"

Clark, despite not being too thrilled about the change in decoration, still felt something swell in his chest. There was something so heartwarming about returning home to the person you love. It reminds you constantly of why you're fighting for a better world. Clark cracked a smile right back at her, grateful that he had convinced her to return to Metropolis with him.

Silvia stepped beside him, linking her arm with his. Her eyes flicked back up to the wall with a contented sigh. "Aren't they just so cool?"

Clark glanced back at the wall in confusion. Arnold, Bruce Lee, Sylvester Stallone, Jackie Chan, Dolph Lundgren... All he saw were a bunch of actors in makeup and a carefully selected wardrobe. Sure, they were talented. Especially Bruce and Jackie for their martial arts backgrounds, but he wouldn't exactly call standing in front of a camera and waiting for them to edit in the danger 'cool'.

"Uhh... I guess?" Clark answered, unable to hide the amusement that leaked out in his voice. Silvia faced real life-threatening situations every day and was now living with one of the most powerful beings on Earth... but old action heroes were what she considered worth mentioning. She really was odd. "Is this what you were doing the whole time I was out?"

Silvia let out a nervous laugh. "No, I also did that."

Clark's gaze followed her hand as she pointed across the room. Sitting on top of the only set of draws in the room was a bunch of action figures. Clark shook his head. His bedroom was starting to look a lot like it belonged to a five year-old boy...

This wasn't something he could complain about though. He liked that there was a reminder that their relationship had progressed. The man shrugged off the new atmosphere, walking over to the cupboard and sliding loose fitting clothes over his costume.

"Well, think you can take a break from ruining my room?" Clark smirked turning to gesture out the door. Silvia only now started noticing the delicious smell coming from the living room. "I brought lunch."

The blonde dashed out of the room faster than he had expected. Clark chuckled and stepped over to the doorway to see her rummaging through the plastic bag placed carefully on the table. She pulled out a box with a grin and collapsed into the couch. Fried rice without the shrimp, it was her favourite Chinese food.

Silvia reached for the remote and turned the television on with a quick, and almost inaudible, 'thank you'. It was lucky that he had super hearing or he might not have heard it at all. Clark shook his head light-heartedly. She always managed to make words of gratitude sound like ones of annoyance.

As Clark sauntered over to grab his own food he could hear Silvia flick to channel 7. They had a movie reviewing show on at the moment, and knowing Silvia, she barely missed an episode.

The large man finally sat next to Silvia on the couch, passing her a few spring rolls that she took without even glancing at him. Her eyes were glued to the screen. They widened and a smirk quirked in the right side of her lips.

"They're making another movie about you?" She said, holding back a laugh. "You'd think they'd give it up after the first few years."

Clark's attention instantly turned to the television as well. On the screen was an early released poster of the new Superman movie; Dawn of Justice. It almost made Clark want to make an official announcement to stop making movies about him... but that felt like a breach to people's rights.

"That looks nothing like me." He groaned, stuffing a dumpling into his mouth. "Isn't that Magic Mike?" Clark asked, mouth full.

Silvia blinked at his comment, brow wrinkling. "Why do you call him Magic Mike? No one calls him Magic Mike."

"I didn't realise you cared so much about Magic Mike." Clark quipped, expertly wielding his chopsticks as he piled more food into his mouth.

"I don't. He looks like a monkey. And if you say Magic Mike one more time I'm going to strangle you."

Clark grinned teasingly, knowing very well that she couldn't hurt him even if she wanted to. "What's your beef with Magic Mike anyway? Every other woman seems to think he's attractive."

"Every other woman's wrong." Silvia said stubbornly, shooting him a half joking glare at the name. "He's nothing special."

"Or maybe he just reminds you too much of Bruce." Clark chuckled.

Silvia shrugged in response. "Maybe he should be playing Batman instead then. There's no way he can pull Superman off. He looks like he's constantly in a bad mood."

"Well, in that case, he'd make a pretty good Reaper."

That broke a smile onto her face. Still, she gave a huff. "No way. I'm too cool for him."

Just as Clark was about to reply, Silvia wrapped a hand over his mouth to hush him. A trailer for the movie had just started and she looked eager to see what monstrosity they had created. Clark didn't seem as keen. Movies based off Superheroes were fairly common, in fact, they were a guaranteed way for studios to make money. It was similar to making a show based off historical figures, they just guessed their way through the parts that weren't documented... and that was most of it with Superheroes.

They had made a decent amount based on Batman (despite him rarely working outside of Gotham), a few on Flash and Green Lantern, they even had a dozen on Shazam (Billy loved it, by the way). Every hero was quickly subject to movies... villains, however, were different. There was a large controversy over making murderers more famous than they already were. It was probably a big reason Reaper hadn't been subjected to it. Honestly, Clark was jealous that she hadn't suffered through it... They always got an alarming amount wrong.

Clark was almost too nervous to watch the trailer but his curiosity weighed out in the end. His eyes found the screen again just as a cinematic shot of Channing Tatum flashed across it. He was wearing a costume uncanny to Superman's... but he didn't fill it out as well.

The red cape was flowing behind him, likely held up by invisible strings behind the scenes. He was hovering over a criminal, hands on his hips. Now more than ever he looked like the complete opposite of Clark...

"Tell me where your hideout is, don't make me use force." Tatum growled, completely out of character.

The criminal cowered, and struggled to form words. Instead of waiting he rolled his right hand into a fist, striking it right across the criminal's jaw.

Silvia and Clark jumped at the action, faces paling with shock. If Superman had really done that the criminal would have been obliterated... but he seemed fine in the movie. They must have powered him down again... Silvia didn't understand why they didn't just make a Batman movie if they didn't want to make Superman accurately powerful.

"That's... terrible." Clark said in shock.

"Yeah..." Silvia replied, a smirk on her lips. "We're totally going to see it."

"What? No way. I never watch these things."

"Well, you are now."

The scene jumped, music playing in the background reminding them that it was just a trailer. The next character that appeared had their mouths falling open in disbelief. A woman wearing all black leather, a mask obscuring her face with a hand drawn skull on the front.

"I'm in a movie?!" Silvia screeched, unsure whether to be excited or terrified. Thankfully, the trailer decided that for her.

Reaper was holding a gun in her hand in one shot, standing over a bloody corpse, then the next minute the scene changed and she was tied to a chair. Her mask was off and Silvia gasped at the sight. Angelina Jolie... That looked nothing like her!

The woman struggled against the rope, whimpering and crying out "Save me, Superman!"

Silvia felt her blood boil in her veins. "What the fuck?! I would never say that! I don't need his help against a stupid piece of rope!"

She was pointing to Clark and yelling at the television as if it could hear her. The reporter felt a laugh arise in his throat. "Get use to it. They never get anything right."

Silvia slumped in her seat, crossing her arms and pouting angrily at the screen. "Is it too late to switch sides again?... They never made these when I was a vigilante..."

Clark moved closer to the fuming girl, patting a hand through her hair teasingly. "Yeah, we're living together so I'd say it's too late."

The screen flashed again and this time Reaper was standing with Superman, both of them holding each other's hands. Changing Tatum stared down at Angelina Jolie, trying to look loving but his expression was the same as in every other movie he was in.

"Stop killing people, Reaper... for me." He said in a voice more suiting for Batman.

"Anything for you, Superman!" Jolie cried, jumping onto him with a sobbed "I love you!"

Silvia inwardly cringed. Not only was the dialogue horrendously written, but their characters were laughable at best. "I don't want to watch it anymore..."

Clark was the one that seemed amused now. Their moods had completely switched sides. "Oh, that's too bad because I actually want to see it now."

The blonde glared over at him. She wanted to continue being frustrated, but when she saw the smile beaming on his face, she couldn't help but feel a weight lift from her chest. As irritating as their adaption of her was, this was only the first one that had been made. Clark probably had a ton about him. If he could ignore it then so could she... or so she thought.

The last part of the trailer came up, Reaper cuddling up to Batman in fear. Superman was fighting in the distance and Batman stood in front of her to defend the girl from Bane.

Silvia's whole face scrunched up once more. Bane?! She could take him on with one hand and a broken leg! And she would die before she ever got that close to Batman... She'd prefer to jump out of a plane with no parachute.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She yelled, standing up this time in the midst of her outrage. Fried rice spilled all over her lap and pooled onto the floor. A spring roll that was still held in her hand was crushed beneath the tense fist she was making. "I'm going to find whoever wrote this script and toss them off a building!"


	47. Forty-Seven

**_Chapter Forty-Seven: Titans Together_**

Consciousness usually came with the sun, but in Antartica it was always obscured by thick blizzards and grey clouds. Silvia woke up in her own time whenever she stayed at the Fortress of Solitude, which was a relief because she was only ever there when she planned on having a particularly... exhausting night. Clark had even brought a bed for the 'Krypton' room, where the red sun drained away his powers. He had been pretty embarrassed about that when Silvia pointed it out.

Silvia stretched out on the bed, turning into familiar warmth with a contented sigh. Clark smiled and tightened his grip around her bare waist. Despite how small she was, and how fragile he saw her (and everyone else, for that matter), without his super strength he could feel the tight muscles winding over her body. His thumb skimmed over her stomach, now able to properly touch her toned abdomen.

Clark's fingertip grazed across one of the many scars that littered her body. He frowned. How many times had she been close to death? How many close calls had there been before he met her? The thought made him shiver. Though he had gone a long time without knowing her, he couldn't imagine life without Silvia anymore. He tugged her closer to his chest and she willingly snuggled into him. He couldn't think like that. The scars were just proof that she was stronger than anyone gave her credit for.

"Are you alright, Dorothy?" Silvia's voice grabbed his attention and he instantly glanced down at her. She was staring at him, silvery eyes full of concern.

Clark exhaled heavily, allowing a smile to slip onto his face. "Of course. I'm with you, aren't I?"

The girl managed to successfully suppress a giggle and shook her head. "You're so cheesy. That Superman charm isn't going to work on me."

Clark raised an eyebrow and directed towards their naked bodies. "Oh really? Seems to be working so far."

Silvia's lip curled, a common occurrence when she was trying to think of a comeback. She didn't get the chance though. Soon after Clark's communicator started flickering and vibrating on the side table. He got up immediately, grabbing his costume from the ground in the process.

"Hey, what did you need?" Clark said, holding the communicator to his ear and speaking through it.

The answer wasn't something Silvia could hear. It used technology that blocked outside sources from listening in, even people with enhanced hearing. She did see Clark's posture tighten though, and almost instantly, he was in what she liked to call 'Superman mode'. His body was tense and his stance was straighter.

"Alright, I'll be right there." He said, pressing the small button and placing it back on the table. Clark was slow in that room, and so putting his costume back on was incredibly irritating, he somehow managed it though without taking too much time.

"Trouble?" Silvia asked, sitting up on the mattress and rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Clark pulled his last boot on and nodded. "Sorry, Sil..."

"Are you seriously apologising for saving people?" Silvia laughed, tossing the blankets off her body and rushing to put her clothes on before the cold reached her.

Clark couldn't help but smile. He was so use to people immediately becoming annoyed at his random disappearances that he still hadn't gotten use to her understanding of the situation. "Yeah... I guess I am."

"Well, don't." Silvia pulled a jacket over her shoulders and sighed, her expression was always full of worry before he left... much like his was whenever she had work to do. "Go be a hero, Dorothy."

The air around them lightened slightly, and she saw the Superman exterior fade for a moment. "I'll take you home first."

Silvia's eyes widened at the suggestion. "What?! Are you crazy? You've got more important things to do. I can wait here until you're done."

Clark pulled her close to his chest, gripping her waist and gently kissing her forehead. "They've got it handled for now. I'm sure I can spare ten seconds. We'd better leave this room soon though, my powers need time to recharge."

Silvia rolled her eyes at the man but nodded all the same, cheeks gaining a pinkish tinge at the feeling of his lips against her skin.

There was a noticeable difference as soon as they exited the room holding the red sun. His grip on her softened and his eyes brightened. It was only a minute or so before he was able to fly again, and as soon as he could, he had lifted them into the air. As comfortable as she was around Clark, Silvia still tried to avoid being reminded that they were up so high. Her face was hidden against his costume for most of the journey, eyes closed and bottom lip caught between her teeth.

When he dropped her off at the apartment she barely had time to say goodbye before he disappeared again. Then she was just left with an empty apartment, one that constantly reminded her that Clark was out of her reach. She always felt like that though, there was no way for her to follow him and make sure he was safe so it was just a matter of waiting for his return.

Silvia slumped against the red couch. It was much more comfortable than her old one, but that wasn't exactly a difficult accomplishment. Her fingers tapped against the armrest, every second feeling like a lifetime.

Something creaked within the apartment and Silvia immediately jumped from her seat. She turned, taking the blade from the holder on her thigh and holding it out defensively. The sharp knife glimmered, pointing directly at a woman standing in front of the open window.

"Reaper!" Starfire said with a bright smile. "It is so good to see you again!"

She gave a heavy sigh, letting her arm fall limply to her side. "Kori... Do I have to explain this again?" Silvia stepped over to a draw and opened it, pulling out the mask to her costume. She pointed to it. "This is Reaper. When my face is showing I'm Silvia."

"Oh, yes, many apologies. I often get the two confused."

"How do you get something like that confused?" Silvia asked with genuine curiosity. It was so strange that Starfire still hadn't deciphered the difference.

Kori shrugged, grin only widening by the second. "I suppose the concept of 'secret identities' does not really resonate with me."

"You don't say..." Silvia replied sarcastically. She was hoping there would be a deeper explanation but that was unlikely to happen when it came to Kori. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but was there a reason you visited?"

"I missed you, of course!"

Silvia bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling. Soon after she had returned from the alternate universe Silvia had travelled all the way to Gotham to see Kori and Dick. She was so relieved at the reminder that they were still alive that it had taken every ounce of self control she had not to tackle them both into a hug. Kori seemed to sense that Silvia was troubled though because she had been visiting her fairly often since then... not that she was complaining.

"You're just as corny as Clark is." Silvia teased.

"Corny?" Starfire tilted her head to the side, flaming red hair jolting in the process. "I am not sure that I understand. I do not require corn, nor do I have any on me? Does Clark often bring corn home?"

"No that's not what I-... never mind." She shook her head. Silvia tried not to explain things to Kori anymore, much like most people. It often ended up being a waste of time.

Starfire rolled her shoulders with utter indifference. She was use to misunderstanding people now. In fact, it wasn't a normal day without her becoming confused about a saying or word used on Earth. "Well, anyway, I was wondering if you would like to visit Titan Tower with me. Dick is there temporarily and he said he would like to see you. It is uncommon that the two of you get the opportunity to meet up."

Silvia froze, eyes wide and blinking much less than they should have. "You mean... I'll be allowed to see inside the tower?"

Starfire nodded eagerly. "I am sure none of the Titans mind."

"I'd... beg to differ." Silvia hummed mainly to herself. She wasn't sure if Kori had heard her, but she wasn't willing to repeat herself in fear that it would change the alien woman's mind.

"Come on then." Kori said happily, holding out a hand for Silvia to take. "It'll be quicker in the sky."

Now, Silvia wasn't nearly as comfortable flying with Starfire as she was with Clark... but she was desperate to see inside of that tower so she gulped back any fear that arose and pulled the mask over her face. Kori grabbed onto her hand before she had a chance to properly asses the situation, and without a word of warning, they were above the clouds.

The only thing keeping her safe was Kori's grip on her palm, not around her waist. She was hanging below the girl, dangling over the landscape with terror striking straight into her chest. She felt like she was going to fall to her doom. Despite how much she trusted Kori, it wasn't the best position to be in for someone still struggling with a fear of heights.

There were multiple times when Silvia wanted to scream at Kori to put her down, that she no longer wanted to see the tower, but her voice was practically non-existent in the midst of her panic. Thankfully, the hyperventilating mess she had turned into vanished the moment her feet hit the ground again. Instead she was probably taking in too much air, leaning against the side of the tower gasping and inhaling so much oxygen that her lungs felt like they may explode.

"Are you coming in?" Kori asked, completely oblivious to the Silvia's terrified state.

The blonde waved a hand at the alien, signalling that she'd be over soon. Silvia took one more large gulp of air, letting it travel through her airway and into her body. Her heart rate had calmed down a little, at the very least she'd be able to follow Kori inside now.

Silvia straightened her posture, becoming more aware of the sudden shift in weather. Above the tall building, that was conveniently shaped like a'T', the sun was peering down with all the intensity of a few streams of lava. It wasn't as hot as it was in South Africa... but it was close enough to have Silvia instantly wiping sweat from her brow.

She trod slowly behind Kori, watching her put in her passcode. A women's voice spoke 'iris identification required' and a weird piece of tech poked out from the wall. Kori rested her eye against it and a red laser scanned over her. 'Access granted. Welcome Starfire.' the voice spoke again just as the door to the building swung open.

"Did Cyborg make that?" Silvia asked as they stepped in.

"Yes, he is a little paranoid." Starfire replied, still full of unwarranted joy.

"Well, this is Titans tower.. It's probably a good thing that one of you is taking precautions."

Kori didn't answer, probably because she had no opinion on the matter. This gave Silvia the opportunity to take a proper look at the building she was entering. It was a lot larger than she originally thought, full of odd technology and many training areas. There wasn't any specific colour scheme but blue and yellow appeared a little more than any other shade.

There was an elevator, a large one, and it had a great many floors to travel. Still, it was faster than most others she had used. Silvia suspected that Cyborg was to thank for that. They reached one of the top floors in almost no time at all, and the amount of people on that level made up for the lack of them near the entrance.

Raven was spotted out of the corner of Silvia's eye and she jumped back in fear. The first time she'd met her was in the alternate reality. She narrowed her eyes and looked again. Raven was talking to Beast Boy. No one seemed too troubled that she was there so she obviously wasn't an enemy.

Silvia exhaled sharply and took another step forward, a small boy wearing the Robin costume ran right passed her. Silvia frowned. "How many Robins does Batman need?! This is like, what, the third? Fourth?"

Starfire clapped her hands together, directing her grinning face back towards Silvia. "Oh yes, there have been very many! He is still rather new, the last one died!"

Something choked in Silvia's throat, whether it was air or saliva remained unknown. All she could process was that the news had come suddenly, shockingly, and that Kori had said it with far too much enthusiasm.

"O-Oh... umm..." Silvia stuttered out, not entirely sure how she was suppose to react. "That... sucks?"

"Yes, Bruce was not very happy about it." Starfire agreed, still smiling.

"I can imagine..." Silvia sighed. At least she didn't have to try and master up some sympathy around Kori. Starfire was aware that it was a sad event, but she still hadn't exactly mastered how to speak about such things after they'd happened. "Maybe if he stopped dressing those kids in bright obvious colours, while he wears the discreet armoured black suit, they'd stop getting killed."

"That is a good point! I will let him know that you think so!"

"... please don't."

In the distance Nightwing came into view, his legs resting carelessly on top of an important looking console. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head was tilted back against the spine of his chair. From here it appeared like he was napping, but with his mask on it was hard to tell.

Silvia's curiosity was soon quenched when Nightwing let his head fall to the side, eyes gleaming at her from beneath the fabric. His lips quirked upward, exposing every pearly white tooth before he pushed to his feet.

"Good of you to finally visit me." Dick teased, stepping towards her with his arms still crossed.

Silvia smirked and mimicked his stance. "You could've just as easily visited me."

"With the big guy lurking around? No thanks."

"I'm sure Clark would be happy to see you too."

Dick chuckled. "Exactly my point. Think I'll pass on that."

"Well, either way, I'm here now." Silvia replied, trying to suppress just how happy she was to see him.

"Business calls don't count."

Silvia's brow crinkled in confusion. "This isn't a business call though..."

"Yes, it is." Another voice sounded. One so familiar that Siliva's initial reaction was to roll her eyes. Cyborg came into view, footsteps clanky and hollow.

Silvia glanced over at Kori to ask why she had manipulated her into coming, but Starfire looked just as baffled as she was. "... You lied to Kori to get me here." she sighed to Nightwing.

Dick shrugged. "It wasn't a lie. I did want to see you, this just seemed like the best excuse to do that."

"And there was no other way to get you here. If I had asked for you personally without any urgency, would you have accepted?" Cyborg cut in.

"Absolutely fucking not." Silvia's foot begun to tap against the ground impatiently, her right index finger doing the same against her arm. She turned to Cyborg, the remnants of a pout barely visible on her lips. "What did you want then?"

"We still don't have your DNA on record. When you were taken to the alternate universe we had no way of tracking you. You're here to remedy that."

"Okay... but I thought that only Justice League members could have their DNA filed here."

Cyborg glanced at Nightwing, who in turn, looked over at Kori. He soon realised this was a ridiculous move because she was clearly just as clueless as Silvia. Nightwing finally spoke. "You're here to remedy that too."

Silvia's head cocked to the side oddly, confusion still lingering on her face. It took longer than it should have for realisation to hit her. She stared at Nightwing with wide eyes, lips parting just enough to let in a shaky gasp. "No... but... you're fucking with me, right?"

"Unfortunately not." Cyborg sighed. "A few of the founding members discussed it and decided that it's best that you become an official member. It'll be easier to keep tabs on you that way."

She didn't know what to say. She was speechless. Never did she even consider that she'd be part of a team, let alone the Justice League. It just didn't feel like she was the right fit for it.

"Congrats, Sil." Dick said, and it was the first genuine thing she'd ever heard leave his mouth... That didn't mean that there wasn't a twinge of sarcasm somewhere in there though.

"B-But I-..." Silvia stammered.

"No buts." Cyborg cut in, holding his hand out and jerking his cybernetic fingers back. "Hold your arm out."

Silvia, still a little hazy on the sudden announcement, did as she was asked without properly thinking it through. A needle was quickly pierced into her skin but pulled out before she had time to jump backwards.

"Welcome to the team." Cyborg said half-heartedly, throwing a transmitter in her direction. She caught it, but only barely. "The next time I see you it better be in the Hall of Justice, because if you enter Titans Tower again, you'll be sorry."

"You invited me." Silvia hissed.

"Yeah, and now I'm uninviting you. Kori, take her home."

"Asshole..." Silvia muttered under her breath, knowing perfectly well that he could still hear her. Maybe she should enter the tower again just in spite of him... but Silvia wasn't sure if she was willing to deal with the long lecture Clark would give her if she did that.


	48. Forty-Eight

**_Chapter Forty-Eight: I Do_  
**

When Kori had flown Silvia home she hadn't expected Clark to be back for at least another hour, even less for him to be sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"Hello, Kal-El!" Kori chimed and Silvia flinched at the name. "I shall come back to visit you soon, yes?"

"We'd like that, Princess." Clark replied with a gentle smile.

Silvia wasn't sure why Starfire didn't stay for a bit longer. She must have either been in a rush to get back, or known something that she didn't. Either way Kori had disappeared into the clouds before Silvia could get an answer.

Clark stepped behind Silvia, fingers gently wrapping around her mask and pulling it off. The top half of her blonde hair was a mess, not unlike the hat hair Clark sometimes got at the farm. The bottom half of her hair was no better, if anything, it was worse. The long tangles were knotted and matted from the wind.

Clark couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, patting down the strands with little success. "Congratulations, Sil."

The girl finally turned to look at him, eyebrows knotted together in bewilderment. "You... knew about this?" She asked, holding up the transmitter.

"Of course. I'm one of the founding members, after all."

Silvia glanced down at the high tech earpiece, lips curling in concentration. "So you were the one that convinced them to make me a member?..."

"I didn't convince them of anything." Clark replied with an amused smirk. "Diana and Arthur valued your... 'warrior' spirit. Hal insisted that you've proven yourself more than capable of being a member, Barry agreed though with less enthusiasm that he trusted you, and J'onn voiced his faith in our decisions."

Silvia, at first, looked a little touched that they had all put their faith in her. This expression quickly darkened to something more like mischief and amusement at the next thought she had. "I'm sure Bruce wasn't too happy about this."

Clark pressed his lips against her forehead, entwining his hand in hers and leading her into the kitchen. "No, but he was outvoted."

This only brought the girl from being slightly entertained at the prospect of Batman's protests, to completely overjoyed at his annoyance. She could imagine the whole thing so clearly in her mind, she might as well have been there.

Bruce would argue that she couldn't be on the team because she's 'untrustworthy'. She's killed in the past, and a killer never changes. Then Diana would say something along the lines of "She wouldn't be the first killer accepted into the league." directing towards herself as proof. Hal would add "Thought you'd be a bit more understanding, Bruce. Seeing as one of your closest companions now murders the villains he catches. Red Hood, that's what he calls himself these days, isn't it?" he'd have a smug look on his face that would only irritate Bruce further.

Argh! Now she really wished she had actually been there.

Silvia was distracted long enough for Clark to pull something out of the fridge. Once this task had been completed he noticed the dazed look on his girlfriends face and cleared his throat. Nothing. She didn't react to it at all. Clark frowned and tried again, a little louder this time, and Silvia jumped back into reality.

"Oh, sorry... Did you say something?" Silvia asked sheepishly.

"Luckily not." Clark stepped closer to her with a grin stuck on his face. He directed towards the item in his hands and Silvia finally turned her attention to it. "I was just about to celebrate your new position."

Silvery eyes fell to the box balancing on Clark's palms, inside was a cake... but not just any cake. It was made entirely of ice-cream. It brought back fond memories of their first official date.

Silvia bit her lip to hold in the giggle that had started to form in her throat. It made a buzzing sound but was never permitted to leave her lips. The cake was one of the brands that parents brought their children for birthday parties. The ones with Superheroes and princesses on it. This, fittingly, sported a Justice League design... despite the fact that it only presented the three most popular members and discluded the rest.

This meant that Superman was in the middle, chest out and grin draped across his face. Wonder Woman was on his right, proud, tall, and holding the lasso of truth beneath her long fingers. Silvia looked to the left, expecting to see the bat that she despised but only found the symbol. It said 'Batman' but the fondue image of him was nowhere to be found.

"I took the liberty of removing Bruce. I'm sure you don't want to see him during the celebration... even in cake form." Clark answered as if he had read her mind. He knew her so well that sometimes it felt like he could.

Silvia beamed up at her boyfriend. Eyes sparkling in a way that only happened when she, or in this case Clark, did something that would annoy Batman if he found out. The man exhaled heavily but kept his smile plastered on. Usually he wouldn't encourage her dislike for Batman, but today was more about her than anyone else. He could let it slide.

"You're wonderful." Silvia sighed in awe, and suddenly ripping Bruce's face off of things didn't seem so bad to him. At least, not if it was going to elicit this kind of reaction from her. "Can I get the slice with your crotch on it? I'm getting really hungry!"

"You know, asking a man to cut his own crotch off probably isn't the way to get what you want." Clark teased, stepping back to slide the box into the fridge. "Besides, I've decided to take you out tonight. We can have the dessert when we come back. And no, before you ask, you don't need to wear a dress but you'll feel very out of place if you don't."

Silvia watched the cake disappear into that cold, cruel food prison and felt her whole posture droop. She made a noise that sounded a lot like a groan, but also a whine. It only increased in volume at the stern look Clark was giving her. She knew when she could talk her way out of something... and this she couldn't.

The blonde didn't exactly verbalise her agreement, but the fact that she quickly turned and walked into the bedroom implied that she wasn't going to argue against it.

While waiting Clark turned on the television. It was more out of habit than any desire to actually watch it. He kept it on the same channel that coloured his screen, it was a talkshow with four people sitting around a large table. Ironically, they were discussing Superheroes. More specifically, the public's favourite Heroes.

At the moment they were talking about Flash. They had even gone to the streets to ask random civilians what their thoughts on him were. The response was positive, for the most part, though many of them had never actually gotten a glimpse at him.

Next up was Batman and curiosity stopped Clark from switching channels. Bruce wasn't exactly the most social man in the world when cleaning up the streets of Gotham. Despite this though, people seemed to love him. The hosts raved about him becoming a pop culture classic and the people they interviewed all adored him. They called him 'mysterious', 'edgy', and 'relatable' as if beating people to near death was something to be admired.

Finally when Batman's image flashed off the screen, it was replaced with that of Superman. Clark wanted to turn the television off right then and there, but found himself watching it regardless. At first the hosts spoke about his background, putting a lot of emphasis on him being an alien.

"Even to this day many people are skeptical about his purpose here." A man on the show said, patting down any loose strands of brown curls that escaped the gel he'd combed through it. "To some degree he's the most social of all the heroes. He always stops for interviews and appears in court, but somehow he still remains the biggest unknown."

"There has always been debate circled around the Man of Steel." One of the women added, folding her hands on top of the desk in front of her. "With many groups protesting their disapproval, but what does the average citizen have to say about him?"

The image changed on his screen, now showing a bustling city with people rushing to get to their destinations. An interviewer stood on the side lines, microphone gripped tightly in his right hand as he pulled people out from the chaos of their everyday lives. He asked them all the same question; 'What are your thoughts on Superman?'

The response was largely the same... but not as positive as one might expect.

Many seemed uneasy about him being from another planet, others talked about him like he was some overrated cartoon. They said he was 'overpowered' and 'boring' as if he wasn't brooding or gritty enough for their liking.

"What the fuck?!" A voice came from the direction of their bedroom and Clark instantly regretted having turned the television on at all. "What are those dickheads talking about? How can someone be 'overpowered' and 'boring' at the same time?!"

Clark stood from the couch, shrugging with an obvious lack of care compared to Silvia. "I don't know. It really doesn't matter though-"

"You've saved those people more than any of us, and from much larger threats!" Silvia interrupted, on the verge of a rant. "You interact with them more as well! How could they say that about you? They'd be dead if you weren't here!"

"Sil, I really don't think-"

"I mean, you shoot friggen lasers out of your eyes! When did that become boring?!"

"Well, they're not really lasers." Clark muttered lowly. "It's solar energy stored within the body through my eyes, it focuses in beams of heat that then-"

Silvia brought her hand up to silence him, eyes narrowing. "Don't start with me. They're lasers."

Clark didn't even try to argue, she wouldn't hear him even if he tried.

"And you can freeze people with your breath! You can bench press the weight of the Earth! How is that boring?!"

Clark gave a heavy sigh, stepping forward and placing a hand on her cheek. "It doesn't matter, Sil. I don't do this for the popularity or praise, I do it because it's right."

The blonde leaned into his touch with a small shiver. "Exactly. That's why they should like you... They don't deserve you."

The television continued to blare in the background, and before Clark could even murmur a reply, the name 'Reaper' was brought up amongst the hosts.

Silvia's gaze snapped in the direction of the television. "Oh... This should be good..."

Though said in sarcasm, Silvia at least thought she'd be entertained by hearing the criticisms people had about her... but there wasn't any. They started off by stating that she was an ex-vigilante, then mentioned that she had developed a cult following through that. Since changing tactics she'd been in the public eye more than she was accustomed to and so when they asked random people off the street they all seemed to know who she was.

The worst part was that they liked her, a murderer, more than they liked Superman. She was compared to Batman of all people, and that only infuriated her further. They were 'dark' and 'cool' because they told the media to fuck off every now and then. They were being praised for having no respect. It was absolute insanity to Silvia.

"These people... seriously." Silvia hissed. "I'm nothing like Bruce, he's an asshole... I'm just mildly annoyed."

"Mildly?" Clark raised an eyebrow at the girl. "I'd say severely."

"This really doesn't bother you, does it?" She replied, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Of course not. If the worst thing they have to say about me is that I'm a 'boy scout' then I think I'm doing pretty well. Besides, I think I remember you calling me something similar when we first met."

Silvia flushed bright pink. To this day she still called him that. "Y-Yeah, but I never thought you were boring! Knowing you could kill me with one finger kind of prevented that."

Clark chuckled at the flustered girl and she turned her head to the side, just in time to see a picture of the familiar Guy Gardner appear on the screen. He had a goofy smile stuck to his face and the most horrendous hair Silvia had ever seen. It was like a bowl cut... but shorter and shaved on the sides.

A boy was being interviewed, he looked no older than 12 but appeared delighted at the mention of this hero. "He's so awesome!" He swooned and this finally gave Silvia enough encouragement to press the 'off' button on the remote.

"How can anyone be awesome with that haircut?" She scoffed as the screen turned black.

Clark shrugged, taking the remote from her hands and throwing it onto the couch. "If you're done complaining, I believe we had a date."

"Oh... right." She quickly responded. "Well, you'd better get ready then."

Clark directions toward himself, he was already wearing the usual loose-fitting coat and pants. Silvia blinked in surprise. When had he gotten dressed? She couldn't help but think he had been ready since she returned... and maybe she was just too distracted to notice. Either that or he'd done it with that inhuman speed of his while she was watching the television.

\--

Night rolled over the streets of Metropolis but it was still no darker than Gotham. When the light disappeared there was still an aura of calm in the city, but in Gotham it always remained chaotic. A chill had appeared with the moon, running through Silvia's body and making her skin feel like a thick slab of ice.

The girl leaned into Clark, motioning for his arm to wrap around her shoulders. When he complied she sighed contently. She could already feel his body heat chasing the cold away.

"So, where exactly are you taking me?" She asked curiously.

Her boyfriend smirked and pointed to a building right in front of them as if it should've been obvious.

She huffed when her eyes caught sight of the movie theatre. "Oh god... we're not going to watch another one of your old, sappy romances again. Are we?"

"Don't tempt me." Clark grinned, sauntering up to the ticket desk and saying "Two adults for Terminator: Judgement day, please."

Silvia's face slacked, mouth slightly opening, body unmoving, and color rushing to her face as she stared wide-eyed at the man retrieving their tickets. The surprise washed away quickly and finally she couldn't contain the smile that forced its way to her lips.

"Terminator 2? But that came out ages ago!" She said, excitement seeping into her tone.

"They do re-showings here from time to time." Clark answered smugly as he lead her into Cinema B.

"I... never thought I'd be able to see it on the big screen." Silvia mumbled in astonishment, not realising that Clark had lead them to one of the front rows despite how much he hated those seats. "I know every single word to this one..."

"I'm aware. I hear you quoting it in the living room whenever you watch it."

Now Silvia's grin had spread so far that it showed every one of her teeth. Honestly, it would have probably looked a little terrifying on her to anyone else but Clark adored it.

"You... but you don't even like Terminator, or action movies in general."

"Yeah, but you do."

"A-And you always say that the front seats annoy you because you're too tall for them..."

"But you're not."

Silvia stared at him incredulously. He had always been too good for her, but this was a completely new level. She bit her lip, not knowing how to express her gratitude beyond a simple 'thank you'. She didn't need to though. Clark could tell that she was thankful, and that only made the need to repay him even more fierce.

The moment the movie had started Silvia's eyes were glued to the screen. Clark, however, seemed more interested in watching her reaction to the show. The way her lips moved to whisper each word, and the way her eyes lit up during the fight sequences. She even teared up at the end despite how many times she'd seen it.

The date had been way beyond her expectations after the movie, but when Clark had insisted he take her out for dinner as well she was beginning to feel spoiled.

The restaurant Clark took her to was luxurious, and much too rich for her blood. She now realised why he had requested that she wear a dress. Everyone else was draped in long, elegant clothing that likely costed hundreds of dollars... Silvia's dress, on the other hand, was ten bucks at a second-hand store.

Already feeling extremely out of place, a waiter lead them to a table Clark had reserved. The waiter then hurried back to escort another couple with a very quick bow.

"You know... Take-out would have been just as good." Silvia smirked.

"We always get take-out. Sometimes I feel like taking you somewhere fancier." Clark pulled the chair out for her and only took his own when she was securely seated.

"What exactly could be fancier than spaghetti directly from Italy?" Silvia teased, trying to forget just how much she stuck out in this sort of crowd. Like that goose that was trying to be a duck in the stupid kids story her brother use to like.

Clark's lips twitched into a smile and he shook his head. "I'm sure you'll survive this as long as you don't have to pay for it, am I right?"

Silvia slumped in her chair and now she looked even odder amongst the crowd. They were all so delicate and graceful - Silvia couldn't even breath without making a mess of something. "Actually, you paying for me at a place like this makes me feel worse."

"It doesn't happen often so you might as well accept it when it does."

Silvia grumbled something incoherent and hid behind the menu. She didn't have much time to skim the list of exotic foods before a completely different waiter strolled over to their table with a notepad and pen in his hands.

"Have you decided what you'll be having this evening?" The young man said in a clear voice.

Clark had opened his mouth to speak but Silvia did it for him, a smug expression plastered on her face. "He'll have a large bowl of Beef bourguignon."

The waiter nodded with a hummed 'mhm', hand moving across the notebook to jot the words down. Clark stared at her proud smirk and returned the expression. "How did you know they even had that here?"

"You wouldn't take me to a place without it." Silvia replied knowingly.

There was a moment where he just looked at her in absolute adoration. He wanted to drop down on one knee right then and there, but that would have to wait. He turned back to the waiter who was still standing there patiently for them to continue ordering.

"Do you serve nachos here?" Clark asked politely.

The waiter's eyes widened. He looked a little taken back by the question. Why would a high-end restaurant such as this serve something so untidy and common? "Umm... not typically."

He glanced over at Silvia and the blonde gave him a sickly sweet smile. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and the man felt saliva the size of a small rock become lodged in his throat.

The waiters face turned two shades darker and he tried to hide it by turning his gaze back to the notepad. "But... I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!" Silvia replied cutely. It didn't suit her, not at all.

Once their server had vanished into the kitchen Clark spoke again. "Anything for nachos, huh?"

"That's right." She grinned.

Clark feigned jealousy. "Why don't you ever look at me like that?"

"Because you're not nachos."

Clark knew that arguing this was pointless, but he tried anyway. Whenever he said that he'd get her nachos if she looked at him like that, she would retort with 'you'd get them for me anyway'. She was right, of course, she didn't have to fake sweetness for him to do something for her.

By the time their food was placed in front of them Clark had all but given up on getting the same eyelash flutter from Silvia. Instead he focused his attention to his plate, knowing that she wasn't going to talk with a mouth full of corn chips.

Their food was incredibly well made, every forkful should have been bliss, but nearing the final bites Clark was starting to get a little nervous. He had been planning this day for a few weeks now. He wasn't sure what to do or how to do it... until Terminator 2 started reshowing. He took it as a sign.

"So, what is it you want to tell me?" Silvia asked as if she had delved into his mind.

Clark dropped his fork with a quiet 'clank' and looked up at her in slight surprise. "How do you know that I have something to-"

"I spent the last decade reading people, it's how I survived. You can't hide from me."

"Oh, how reassuring." Clark teased, a nervous laugh arising in his throat.

Silvia's face wore an expression of seriousness and concern. She pushed the scraps on her plate away with one hand and stared at him. "... Is it something bad, Dorothy?"

"N-No, of course not, it's just..." Clark begun but paused for long enough to soak in the feeling of his own heart thumping against his ribs. "You know that I love you, right?"

"Yeah... I-" Silvia glanced at the people around her and lowered her voice so that none could hear the mushiness in her tone. "I love you too..."

Clark's chest tightened at her words, and suddenly he felt a surge of confidence in his decision. "I had a whole speech planned out for this, but I keep rewriting it in my head. I'm just going to have to jump into it... otherwise I might miss the opportunity."

"Okay?..." Silvia's voiced trailed off in uncertainty. She looked a little more worried now but still waited to hear what he had to say.

One minute Clark was sitting opposite her, and the next he was kneeling on the ground. Silvia was concerned at first, even inching forward in her seat as if she was about to try and help him up... despite knowing that she didn't have nearly enough strength to do that.

"Sil..." Clark began, looking up at her to ease her mind of any concerns. "We've been together for a while now, and I know that I'd regret it if I didn't try this at least once."

He grabbed her left hand and ran his thumb along her palm. Silvia felt her breath hitch and her mind start to short circuit. She was plagued by one question, and one question only; What was he doing?

"You've got more layers to you than anyone I've ever met. You're stubborn, hot-headed, tough, and hard to get to know... but beneath that you're vulnerable, and as much as you try to deny it, you care about other people."

Silvia shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She hated when he saw through her like that.

"You were betrayed by the ones that should have been protecting you... but I promise that I'll never hurt you like that. If you'll allow me, I'd like to spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

Finally, Clark let go of her hand and dug into his suit pocket. From here he pulled out a small box and flipped it open. Inside was a beautiful gold ring with tiny diamonds decorating the exterior. It was old-fashioned and about as expensive as someone of their class could afford. Every single muscle in Silvia's body tensed, ever bone locking into place until it was impossible for her to move.

"This is the ring that my Pa gave to Ma when he proposed. I always wanted to give this to the woman I fell in love with, and that woman is you. Sil... will you marry me?" Clark looked so beautiful in that moment, eyes glistening with tears and a smile placed nervously on his face. He looked so happy, so sure of his decision, but Silvia's mind could barely comprehend it. She was shutting down, the shock and fear overtaking her.

The world faded, even the people staring at her and waiting for an answer were no longer being processed. Her eyes widened, she opened her mouth to speak but her body automatically closed it again. It felt like she was being barraged with bullets, all surpassing the speed of sound and piercing her body in unison. She probably would have preferred that, actually.

Marriage was nothing but a sham. It broke people apart instead of binding them together, at least in Silvia's eyes it did. Her own parents had an aggressive and abusive relationship. She grew up under the impression that all relationships ended up that way. Clark's parents were an exception but even that ended in heartbreak.

As for his promise, it wasn't him hurting her that she was afraid of... it was the complete opposite. She was scared of becoming her father - a cruel and unfeeling monster. Though it was impossible for her to physically hurt him, emotionally it would be too easy.

"I-I...I...don't...I'm not..." She stuttered.

Clark's humble and nervous smile began to drop...and Silvia suddenly felt the eyes of everyone in the room fall onto her. Although pained by the situation, Clark inhaled, then exhaled before starting "It's okay...if you need more--"

Silvia suddenly shot to her feet, mind running at a hundred miles an hour. She could hear people whispering...chuckling...laughing. She couldn't stand it. Without a single word to Clark, Silvia bolted for the door like a mad woman. Clark called after her...but the words never reached her ears.

It was all a blur for her...she lost track of how long she ran for. It seemed to be seconds for her, but in reality it had been minutes.

The streets were dark and sparsely populated at this hour until Silvia found her way blocked...by Clark. "Sil." His voice was stern but somehow still so weak. "How could you...?" He trembled. His eyes watered.

"C-Clark...I didn't mean..."

"I was more than happy to give you time to think. I love you. I don't want to force you into doing anything you weren't comfortable with...but you...left me there... alone." He was so baffled and broken, his face showed unfiltered emotions that stunned Silvia.

She continued stammering. "...I just...I don't know..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Silvia realised what she did wrong and she asked herself...why didn't she apologise?

Closing his eyes for a second and huffing, Clark tore the glasses from his face and threw them at the ground in frustration. The spectacles instantly shattered into millions of pieces, spreading across the entire street like frightened ants with a startling crack. "...Why didn't you stay with me...?" He almost sobbed, annoyance gone and replaced with sorrow. The water gathered in his eyes ran tracks down his face now, as his lips quivered.

Silvia tried to speak, but the words didn't come. She had ran out on him, left him to be ridiculed and stared at by the people in that restaurant that had already witnessed him being turned down.

Clark was left staring at her, heartbroken and alone. He gritted his teeth and floated up into the sky. As much as Silvia wanted to scream at him, to tell him to stay, nothing came. Clark, grimacing at her, shrunk in the night's sky, until he spun and vanished into the darkness.


	49. Forty-Nine

**_Forty-Nine: Doomsday  
_**

Silvia sat on the ground by her motorcycle, tools strewn about her as she watched the credits roll on this weird Turtle Boy show on the tv mounted in the corner. Even though it was Superman making a rare appearance on national, maybe even worldwide, television, she couldn't help but want to watch it.

Clark thought that as the years passed by and more metahumans emerged, good and bad, he had to make an effort to connect more with the people. This was, once again, something that Silvia didn't quite understand since he was already the most outgoing and social Leaguer who wasn't completely unbearable. He said that this interview would be a good opportunity to see how to be a better Superman, whilst Silvia loathed the idea of interacting in any way with people.

Silvia tried to spend as much time as she could away from home, so she often came here to her little hideout. She couldn't bare seeing the place after what happened, especially since Clark was away for days now. She had her weapons, cycle and other equipment stored here, and it acted as a base of sorts. She was still trying to come up with a name for it.

As the commercial break came to an end, the logo for the Cat Grant Show flared up on the screen as some incredibly corny talk show piano music played. Silvia scoffed, looking back down to the work she was doing on her bike's engine. Cat Grant was like a dumber, less funny version of Oprah. And she also gave out significantly less free stuff. Meaning that she gave away no free stuff.

The camera faded in to show the viewers a shot of the blonde Cat Grant sitting sensibly behind a table with her show's logo slapped on the front. She smiled sweetly at the camera. "Many of you remember a day not too long ago that changed human history as we knew it. A day when we learned for certain...that we were not alone in this universe. For a lot of us, he seemed to be a God, untouchable and unreachable. But we've come to know and love him as a man; just a man trying to do the right thing with the gifts he's been given. He was the first in a long line of incredible men and women who dedicated their lives to protecting us day and night, for no pay, no glory, but because they feel it's right. Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only... Superman."

Silvia sighed and laid down the wrench that she was holding. It cut to a shot of a doorway on the side of the studio as more extremely corny music played and Superman appeared from behind it, confident yet humble as he always is. The audience's cheers were incredible. Clark walked sternly over to the chair opposite Cat's table, smiling and waving at both the cameras and the audience.

Silvia heard several whistles from excited housewives in the audience. She also felt a tinge of regret...

As Clark sunk into his seat, the cheering slowly died out, and Cat ogled the Man of Steel as he smiled expectantly at her.

"I'm speechless...having you here is the greatest thing that's ever happened on my show." Cat gushed.

The crowd roared in agreement, as Superman humbly grinned, shaking his head and chuckling. Silvia sighed, fighting the urge to let tears flow from her eyes.

"Thanks for having me, Ms. Grant." Superman replied sensibly and deeply, a smile still on his face.

"First off, on behalf of America and the world, thank you. For everything. And I mean that. In the audience today, we have several people who owe you their lives, as well as the lives of their family members. And of course, there are more out there watching right now, on tv or livestream."

The camera panned to the audience, where people of all walks of life are watching intently. A man in the second row is wiping tears from his eyes. "This is Mark...he's remembering the moment he fell from a construction site, expecting to never hold his newborn baby in his arms again...until he was plucked out of the air."

A woman and her young child are intently watching, as Cat continued "Sarah and Gabby are two of the many survivors of Flight 633; a plane that would've slammed into the side of a mountain if the Man of Steel hadn't caught the craft as it plummeted out of the sky." Silvia always knew what incredible things Clark had done...but seeing and hearing the stories of real people, it showed her how important he was to everybody.

Clark exhaled and inhaled, then looked at the audience. "None of you owe me anything. I'm just doing my part, but thank you for coming."

The audience clapped, and Silvia thinned her lips.

Cat shook her head "As modest as ever. Now, to a matter that's been rather...topical. You're currently the leader of Justice League America, one of the few branches of the once singular peacekeeping organisation. It's come to my attention that many scholars and personalities are criticising your approach to justice and painting others with a more 'aggressive' outlook, such as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner, as the ideal protectors of our safety. They say matters of global security, life and death affairs, should not be tended to with a big grin on your face. They say that criminals and would-be enemies of humanity should be dealt with more severely. What do you have to say about that?"

Silvia slumped her shoulders. That was talkshow host language for 'I agree with them, you're shit'. She wanted to run over there and kick her in the head.

Clark leaned casually on one arm rest of the chair, as he mulled the question over. After a second, he answered "...'Leader' is a bit of a strong word. We all have an equal say on the League. To the question though; as humans, we all make mistakes. I believe that people deserve second chances. A chance to think for themselves and decide whether or not they see what is right and wrong. Lantern Gardner and I don't always see eye to eye but he is a respected and decorated officer of interplanetary law. My way isn't going to be his way...and his way isn't going to be my way."

"I for one appreciate the example that you set. Those people glorify Gardner, a thug in a uniform. We have a court system for a reason. And plus, I'd rather my children look up to a sensible man like you."

Silvia almost glared a hole through her tv. One minute she's getting all in his face, then she's kissing his boots. Some more whistling and clapping happened after the odd compliments.

Clark cocked his head. "Well he definitely isn't the most refined member of the League, but he's the one you want by your side in a fight. He's a valued member of our team, despite what he has to say about me."

Cat laughed and looked at the camera. "Standing up for the guy who's putting you under scrutiny...you definitely are Superman."

The audience laughed, almost as if they were told to by a giant light up sign off-camera.

"Oh dear lord." Silvia muttered, eyes rolling.

"Now we have some members of the audience who would like to ask you some questions. First, we have Peter all the way from Keystone, here with his family."

The camera cut to a shot of a young boy in the crowd, sitting with his two parents. The boy had a pair of thick glasses, red hair and braces. He couldn't be any older than ten.

"Hey Peter, how are you?" Superman asked before Peter had a chance to say anything.

The boy stuttered "G-Good, Mr. Superman."

"I'm very glad to hear that. I hope your parents are doing okay too. What was your question?"

Clark was starting to sound like the host now, due to his innate hospitable personality.

Peter awkwardly swayed back and forth as he began "Um what kind of...um what...um...what kind of things do you um do when you're not b-being Superman?"

"That's a great question, Peter. A some of us from the Justice League are a lot like you or your parents; we could have other jobs, family to take care of, or even school for the youngest of us. There are others who don't have seperate lives; my friend Cyborg is always looking out for trouble, even when you and I are asleep."

Cat interjected "Hm...so you have a job?"

"I'm afraid that's classified." Clark joked. Silvia blinked rapidly at the screen. She was trying to figure out if that was flirting or not.

"Oh well, I tried. We'll be right back with the Man of Steel himself, right after this." Cat ended, cueing another barrage of music as a shot of Cat and Superman appeared, with them talking but not playing the audio.

Silvia huffed loudly. She didn't know what she was doing. Thinking about Clark was only going to make her feel worse... She glanced onto the table behind her as she picked up the wrench again. Her Reaper suit along with her weapons were messily thrown onto it. Also sitting on this steel table was Silvia's Justice League transponder.

After so many new recruits, the League became so large that it could spread equally around the world. As the two branches Justice League America and Justice League Europe were created only a few days ago, Clark was made the leader of the American crew. He became busier with that duty too; Hal Jordan, Power Girl and Wally West among others were shifted into the European team.

When this split happened, some previously full-time members like Wonder Woman and Batman stepped away from the now fully international League. The core JLA team was primarily made up of less likely heroes like Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Fire, Ice, Guy Gardner, Steel and Silvia herself. Superman was blessed with the task of wrangling these volatile personalities and making them work as a team. He wasn't alone however, as Martian Manhunter was another founding member of the original JL, and joined him on this new team. Clark being the leader of this crew was bound to make things awkward.

Almost as if Silvia jinxed it by thinking about the abundance of JLs in the world, the transponder vibrated violently. "Goddammit. What now...?"

She furiously pushed to her feet and stumbled over to the desk. Once she grasped it firmly, Silvia tapped the transponder's answer button and raised it to her ear. "Reaper." She said.

Cyborg's coarse tone responded "We have a situation."

"Uh..."

"Doomsday's back. I just sent the alert to the rest of JLA, so they're heading to intercept. I need you on standby."

Silvia gulped. "Shit...fuck. Alright. Fire up a boom tube for me." She instantly stowed the transponder.

Doomsday, the unstoppable killing machine, was back? Silvia was told that it was some beast trapped inside the Phantom Zone, and managed to escape on one occasion several years before they met. Clark said that he phased in and out of the Zone, killing or destroying whatever it got close to. He only managed to stop the moster by stabilising the rift that caused it to appear in the first place. Then of course, he duked it out with the creature's counterpart from that alternate Earth...the first real fight he had with it.

It was short and sweet since Clark zapped it with the Phantom Zone projector, but it resulted in an insane level of destruction. Clark told her that it would've killed him faster than the twisted evil version of himself. Silvia knew that this couldn't wait.

In minutes, Silvia was suited up and ready to go before a glowing yellow portal popped into existence in the corner of her hideout. She jogged through it, catching the middle of a conversation.

"It seems that when this 'Doomsday' previously appeared, he was in some kind of larval state..." Doctor Emil Hamilton said to Superman and Cyborg via a video call. The two were on the Watchtower, getting a briefing from Dr. Hamilton's lab. A hologram of Doomsday's previous appearance flashed up, compared to recent images.

Silvia slowed to a halt next to the two Leaguers as the boom tube closed. She tried to avoid direct contact with Clark and it proved to be an easy task at the moment since some major stuff was going down. Also given what he was doing, Silvia was disappointed once again to see that Clark beat her to the Watchtower.

"There's been a startling amount of muscle, bone growth, and hide moulting...as if it's transitioning into maturity."

The creature was once a grey-skinned brute with rock-like bone protrusions on his shoulders, head, hands and knees. He had a vaguely humanoid face, with what seemed to be hair sprouting from the back of his head. Now though, it had a pair of demonic horns curling downward, and a face of razor sharp fangs, permanently bared. The skin was now missing, and instead the beast was covered in deathly grey sinew, as thick and banded as wire cables. Through these layers of hard muscle jutted the familiar bone spikes, larger and sharper than previously seen.

"God damn..." Cyborg cursed.

Superman added as he gazed angrily at the images. "Most dangerous animals hunt their prey for food, to survive but this thing...it's first instinct is to kill. Nothing more is going on in that brain."

Silvia started to feel worried.

Clark then stepped forward and continued. "I have to go. It's too dangerous. If it gave me a beating in two seperate universes before reaching this new form, there's no telling what the League is in for."

"Agreed. Opening a boom tube. I'll send a cydrone to keep tabs on the situation." Cyborg nodded to Clark as a small flying robot of some sort hovered down from the ceiling.

"Thank you for your time, Doctor." Clark said

"Good luck, Superman. Godspeed, for all our sakes." Hamilton disappeared from the holographic display, as Clark turned to a suddenly appearing yellow hole in space, that gradually grew into a throbbing portal.

"H-Hey." Silvia called as he stepped towards the portal, Cyborg's drone close behind. Clark turned his head.

"...Kick his ass for me." She said sombrely.

Clark simply nodded. "I will."

As Superman and the drone disappeared into the portal, it swirled and popped, vanishing entirely.

Silvia felt terrible, and Clark's uncharacteristically blank demeanour intensified the feeling. It had been years since he'd looked at her like that. Soon after, a video feed appeared from the drone's camera.

"Oh god..." Clark gasped, his voice tinny from the video stream.

What the drone captured was a small country town. Not a single building was left standing, as if Doomsday simply smashed anything that wasn't already flat. Silvia grimaced as she spotted at least thirty bodies torn apart and decimated. "T-Those people...we couldn't..." Superman stammered.

"Clark, focus, okay? Find him and stop him before anybody else gets hurt." Silvia said soothingly, leaning towards the main control console.

"R-Right...right." Clark steeled himself as he took a deep breath. He took off with incredible speed, scattering nearby debris and leaving the cydrone in the dust.

Cyborg waved his hands through several holograms as his recon drone surely rose into the air, presenting the two with an aerial view of the destruction. Everything. Every tree, telephone pole, car, structure, person and animal was eviscerated and mangled. "The other Doomsday wasn't even this crazy. Maybe because the Regime was controlling it with some weird collar thing... aiming it." Silvia surmised.

"Look." Cyborg said as the video feed zoomed in.

In what used to be the most dense part of this town, was the creature, roaring hysterically as it did battle with Justice League America. Cyborg then patched in the audio from Booster Gold's power armour. "Hit it again, goddammit!! Come on!" Booster yelled.

The area lit up with yellow flares as he bombarded Doomsday with lances of energy from his suit's gauntlets. Guy Gardner swept in as a gigantic hammer formed around his power ring and shattered itself across Doomday's bone-covered face. "Just die you son of a bitch!!" Guy growled. It huffed in amusement.

With one movement, as fast as Superman would've done it if he didn't mind making a mess, the beast snatched Gardner by the head and bludgeoned his face with the concrete of main street over and over.

Silvia swallowed. That was a Green Lantern, not just any GL either, it was Guy. Out of all the other Leaguers, she probably related to him the most, because the two of them were always too stubborn to lose. But now that didn't matter because this thing was as strong and fast as Superman himself.

"No!!!" Clark screamed with rage. Like a comet, he hurtled into Doomsday with an ear-piercing sonic boom. The two disappeared, their movement so fast that not even Cyborg could see where they went immediately.

Silvia saw Guy face first in the pavement...motionless. Booster Gold, Fire, Steel and Martian Manhunter pursued Doomsday, who was now confirmed to have been tackled into the ruins of a factory across the road.

Superman wrestled with the monster, trying to subdue it. "Hit it, Fire!"

Fire circled the two, uneasy. "But I'll hit you!"

As he wrangled the creature, Superman cried "Do it! I can't hold it!" With a hesitant growl, Fire bathed Doomsday in a spray of fierce heat, covering the entire block in pale green fire.

"Never imagined that doomsday would come twice!" Booster, the man who inadvertently named the monstrosity in the first place, quipped with frustration as he took a position in the air with a clear shot at the beast.

Manhunter quickly responded "It must be averted. Or we may not have an America left to defend."

Blue Beetle, piloting his bug-shaped ship, hovered above the factory, several energy cannons trained on the demolished structure.

As Fire's blasting halted, the smoke rose like a black pillar, blocking all sight. "Anybody got a visual?" Blue Beetle asked nervously.

"Give it a second..." Steel added, holding his hammer at the ready.

Suddenly with a crack of thunder, a projectile was fired out of the smoke and shot out into the forest. It blew every tree in its path into smithereens, not stopping until it crashed into a gas station, rupturing a fuel pump and igniting it.

An incredible ball of fire erupted into the sky about a mile away, as the smoke finally faded back at the town ruins. Doomsday stood alone, red eyes throbbing.

"Send me down there." Silvia commanded, now knowing that it was Clark that was thrown into the gas station.

Cyborg moved the drone onto a new flight path as data scrolled across the display. "We'd only be getting in the way, Silvia. It'll take more than gasoline to put Clark down. Besides, with him and J'onn together, Doomsday is toast."

Silvia was sure that if they couldn't, no one else could. Martian Manhunter was probably the only person apart from Wonder Woman who could give the Man of Steel a run for his money. The guy had a bigger list of abilities than Clark, and that was no small feat. "Let's hope you're right."

"Alright. Time for round two, pal!" Guy Gardner came flying back into action, an array of machine guns piecing themselves together around him as he joined Booster Gold in the air. Guy's face was a bruised mess, all from that one encounter.

"Let 'im have it!" Ice signalled as she emerged from the cover of a smashed bus.

Booster, Gardner, Fire and Ice unleashed their combined ranged attacks, sending energy, willpower, heat and cold directly at the creature. Steel and Manhunter charged together at Doomsday. At the last second, the team's long ranged attacks ceased, allowing Steel's hammer to impact dully against bone.

Manhunter focused his strength and belted Doomsday across the face with a devastating punch. J'onn's blow staggered it, then caused it to lash out with an incredible headbutt that sent rubble hurtling away from the sheer force.

Its skull slammed into Steel's armour, instantly piercing and grinding its plating into shrapnel. Steel screamed in pain as his limp body was thrown backwards, a gaping hole in his suit revealing a gruesome wound.

"N-No!" J'onn cried in horror.

"Holy s-shit! Manhunter, move it! I'll lay it on!" Blue Beetle warned, arming his ship's guns.

Manhunter had other ideas though. His fist grew to five times its regular size and thrusted itself into Doomday's gut but fruitlessly. Doomsday caught the attack mid-execution, and grinned a jagged-toothed smile as his mouth began to glow a sick yellow.

Its mouth snapped open, and spewed out a stream of infernal fire. J'onn was blanketed by the intense heat of this sudden attack.

"What!? What the hell was that?!" Silvia yelled, leaning on the console.

Cyborg gasped. "...I-It's adapting... Ice's attacks and J'onn's physiology must've caused it to evolve...in seconds."

The wash of flames continued, despite the blows being dealt by the rest of the JLA. Manhunter fell to the ground without a sound, completely engulfed in the element that was lethal to his kind. Doomsday finally relented and leapt into air. Ignoring Fire, Gardner and Booster, Doomsday's bound sent him directly towards Beetle's craft.

"Ted, watch out!!" Ice cried.

Beetle swerved, but it wasn't enough against Doomsday's sheer speed. His gargantuan body pushed through the aircraft like it was made out of melting butter and it managed to latch a claw around Blue Beetle, pulling him out of the wreck in mid-air.

Doomsday and the bug's now flaming hull plummeted to the ground. Fire was caught off guard by one of the pieces of debris, and was brought with it into the mess below. Silvia heard Ted's screaming as Doomsday's grip tightened. The beast landed, slammed Beetle into the ground once with a startling crack, and tossed him aside like a rag doll.

"Shit!! I got him!" Gardner made a mad dash for Ted Kord's bloodied body but was knocked out of the sky by a thrown truck.

Gardner, buried by the wreck of a semi-trailer, made a crater in the street, and a familiar red and blue blur streaked across the video feed. Silvia's breathing finally resumed, albeit preemptively.

With an unbelievable display of reflexes, Doomsday propelled himself into the sky once more, twirled so his claws slapped Booster viciously across the back and slammed head on into Superman, who was heading in to catch the falling Blue Beetle.

"No..." Cyborg hissed.

Kord's body impacted limply against the concrete road.

Ice's shrill cries of distress filled the air.

As Clark and Doomsday came crashing into the forest, Booster Gold recovered and realised what just happened to his friend. "Ted... Ted!! No, no, no!!"

He bolted down to Beetle's body, his power suit sparking and howling from Doomsday's mid-air strike. "N-No please, Ted stay...stay with me..." Booster muttered.

Silvia turned away. She couldn't watch any more of it. "Vic..."

Cyborg was stunned. He'd never seen anything go so wrong before. Silvia often forgot how much younger he was but it finally came through in that moment.

"Victor." She said calmly, laying a hand onto his cold metal shoulder. He turned to her, face gripped with fear for his friends. "We have to do something. Anything. Metropolis is gonna be minced meat if we don't."

She did what Clark would've done in her place. Unlike most other people, Silvia never had to worry about her partner's well-being. He was a god... But now, she was terrified. If he was a god, then that thing was the devil.


	50. Fifty

**_Chapter Fifty: The Death of Superman_**

Downtown Metropolis was the site of a mass evacuation after Cyborg and Reaper contacted the Metropolis PD's Special Crimes Unit with the former's projections of the Doomsday creature's warpath. Captain Maggie Sawyer, head of the SCU and friend of Superman, immediately called for the evacuation of the supposed ground zero. Silvia knew that it would do no good though. One jump sent Doomsday miles in any given direction; an evacuation would only lure him towards more life.

Silvia knocked firmly on the door of an evac bus, having assisted its passengers in boarding. The driver sent her a grateful nod before pulling away and sending the last load of people on their way.

Reaper tapped on her earpiece. "Uh...this sector's clear. How're you doing?"

"Finishing up. I just hope JLE got my emergency signal."

Silvia was pessimistic about Justice League Europe being able to arrive in time. They're already on assignment somewhere...in the middle of some other fight. With Doomsday, every second counted. The Titans were away at the moment too...off in some alternate dimension or something. "I don't think they're gonna make it..."

"One hell of a time for everyone to get busy." Cyborg grunted.

That left only the Metropolis based heroes to stand between the behemoth and innocent lives. Supergirl was keeping watch in the skies for Doomsday's arrival and Guardian was helping with the evac process. Apart from that, there weren't many others capable of doing anything worth while.

Steel was out of the fight; his armour was breached and had his chest gouged, breaking most of his ribs. Booster Gold's own 25th century powered suit was on the fritz, so he out of commission too. Fire suffered several broken bones from the bug's wreckage collapsing on top of her. Booster apparently used the last of his suit's juice to fly himself, Steel, Fire and Blue Beetle to a nearby hospital where they'd have to recover. Guy Gardner managed to keep on going for a while, but even he couldn't take any more.

The last Silvia heard, Ice used her powers to tend to Manhunter's injuries, whilst Superman tried his best to slow the beast.

Clark was the only one left. Silvia wanted to tell him how much she missed him. She wanted him to hold her again...but for the first time, she was beginning to feel that he might not make it. As those thoughts raced through her mind, she shut them down. He was Superman, nothing could stop him. Nothing ever has. And nothing ever will, she told herself.

"...Something's coming." Supergirl's soft voice called.

Silvia mounted her motorcycle and pressed her earpiece into her ear, trying to drown out the sound of sirens around her. "Is it Clark?" Silvia asked.

"Great Rao..."

Silvia looked up at the sky as a monstrous roar shook the earth.

Victor's rough voice added "There's your answer."

"I don't see Kal..." Supergirl said anxiously.

What felt like an earthquake tore through Silvia's location, setting off the alarms of any cars still here. The windows reverberated violently.

The tremors had to be caused by Doomsday landing on Metropolis island. Kara once again spoke "I can't wait any longer. I have to face it."

"Dammit Kara, be careful." Silvia muttered in response.

Silvia revved up her cycle as she cursed to herself. She couldn't live with herself if something happened to Kara on her watch, she was the only blood relative Clark had left.

She sped off down the street, towards the incredible growling that echoed through the tall buildings.

"Reaper, I'm heading for the origin point of this seismic activity. It looks like Doomsday made landfall." Cyborg reported.

Silvia weaved her bike in and out of abandoned cars and around street corners as she answered "Yeah, no kidding... I'll meet you there."

"Keep your distance. You saw what it did to the League." Cyborg reminded, knowing full well that Reaper tended to jump in guns blazing.

The city was empty, not besieged like it was during Zod's attack. This was eerie to Silvia, like the place turned into a ghost town. She was glad that they managed to warn the police early; there was no telling how many lives were saved from the evacuation. All of that now hinges on wether or not Supergirl could hold Doomsday off for long enough for Clark to show up... if he wasn't gone already.

Silvia shifted her focus from her fear onto the matter at hand. Thunderous cracks sounded consecutively, and the closer Silvia got to the battlefield the more the rubble seemed to dance from the impacts.

As she tore around one last corner, Silvia saw Supergirl trading blows with the beast. Her suit was blackened and scarred, not something to be taken lightly, since that fabric was as impenetrable as a kryptonian's skin under Earth's sun. Several of the buildings on this street were cracked open, undoubtedly by the two powerful aliens slamming each other around.

Kara played the defensive, dodging blow after blow from Doomsday and sucker punching it with every opportunity. As Silvia pulled to a halt, she swiftly dismounted her ride, detached a weapon she had clipped to its side and came running for cover behind an overturned bus.

Doomsday, who seemed to be getting faster with every blow that Supergirl dodged, managed to strike her, giving it an opening for another brutal attack. It swung an arm at her with such ferocity that it sent her flying into the side of a shopping mall, causing the entire structure's face to collapse.

Without a second's delay, the monster suddenly sprinted toward Silvia, somehow already knowing of her presence. "Whoa fuck...!" Silvia snapped.

Doomsday barely had enough time to start his charge before Kara recovered and rammed herself straight back into the fight. She growled as she attempted to wrangle the creature, and the pair slid across the road as Doomsday struggled to keep its feet planted.

Kara was evidently concerned about Doomsday's proximity to the still populated areas of Metropolis, so she braced her legs with a grunt and pushed off of the ground with tremendous force.

The instant sonic boom was enough to send Silvia rolling, and every glass panel on the street was rendered into shards of clear shrapnel.

Without delay, she stumbled back onto her feet and stared straight up. She could barely see the two...but she could tell that their steady climb was coming to a halt.

Cyborg hovered down from his jet-powered flight, also gazing up at the two combatants. He jogged to a halt several metres down the street from Silvia.

"Vic, what's going on up there?!"

There was a pause as Cyborg zoomed in with his enhanced optics. "...He's not letting her control the fight. They're coming down...! Move!"

It was too late for Silvia to react. Doomsday forced Supergirl down into the Earth at a devastating speed, causing an incredible explosion, most likely from the ignition of an underground gas main.

Silvia's eyes were overcome by a whirlwind of dust, fire, ash and concrete. All she could feel was ger body was being flung around and smacked against object after object.

This lasted about five seconds and silence gripped the city once more. When Silvia's vision finally cleared, she found it to be obscured by the side of a car. She was pinned between the vehicle and the road. It was flipped onto its side, and laid across Silvia's abdomen. She wheezed when the pain finally settled. She felt the pressure on her gut and the force collapsing her organs.

Silvia planted her hands onto the car's side, and thrusted with all of the effort she could spare. Her arms shuddered as she urged them to push.

The same immense thunder cracks from before began sounding once more, telling Silvia that Kara was still battling Doomsday.

Silvia screamed, both in pain and in exertion. Metal groaned and strained, as Reaper barely managed to press the machine off of her. She inhaled sharply and threw herself away, letting go of the car.

She went rolling several metres away as the car fell once more with the scrunching of steel and breaking of glass.

Silvia panted desperately, her arms feeling like jelly from the extreme effort. She wanted to rest but she had to see Kara. She had to make sure she was okay.

She wearily got to her feet and stumbled through what seemed to be ancient ruins now. In the span of seconds, this skyscraper-laden district was turned into a graveyard. Silvia finally came to grips with how strong Doomsday was.

Reaper held herself up by leaning on the side of an alleyway, shuffling along. The structures that formed the alleyway were sliced in half. They cut off halfway, and a gigantic crater the size of a small football field laid beyond.

The crater was scattered with vehicle chassis, steel-reinforced concrete and more structural debris. Kara was sweating. Beads of the stuff ran down her face as she gripped Doomsday's fist with both hands. She struggled against it.

Silvia unslung the plasma rifle she brought along and forced herself to steady her arms. Although still shaky, she centred the sight on Doomsday's massive shoulder and pulled the trigger.

A jet of red energy lanced out from Silvia's rifle, and caught the creature off guard. Not appearing to hurt it at all, the attack drew its attention for long enough for Kara to make a move.

She took a deep breath...a breath that seemed to create a whirlwind. Kara then unleashed the air from her lungs as a unyielding blizzard of ice-cold tempests.

Doomsday turned its head back to face her as its body became encrusted with ice and slowed. His fist moved to slap Kara aside, but it too moved far too slow.

Supergirl ran out of air and collapsed, a ten-foot ice sculpture looming over her where Doomsday was standing. Silvia stowed her rifle and sprinted down into the crater.

Every muscle in her body begged for her to fall, but she ignored them. Before too long, Silvia arrived at Kara's exhausted body. Not wanting to take any chances, she dragged her several metres away from the creature before she looked her over. Her costume was darkened but not ripped...and her skin was glistening with sweat. Silvia had never seen a kryptonian sweat before.

"K-Kara." Silvia gasped, falling to her knees by Supergirl. "Y-You're okay."

Silvia felt for a pulse and sighed in relief when she felt one. Kara's eyes opened and she gasped for air. As she coughed violently, Silvia glanced back up at Doomsday, who still hadn't moved.

When she looked back down to Kara, the kryptonian girl's intensely blue eyes stared into Silvia's. "N-No what are you doing here...? Y-You can't...can't get hurt. I-I promised Kal..."

Silvia placed a finger on Kara's lips and said "Shh...shh... It's okay. Clark knows that I'm impossible to control anyway."

The ice cracked, dismantling the silence. Kara's eyes widened. "I...I have to f-fight..."

"You fought enough already, you really let the fucker have it..." Silvia muttered, trying to calm her. "Kal would be proud of you."

One by one, fragments of ice fell onto the dirt and Doomsday hissed ferociously once his body was freed from the icy prison.

"...H-He's here...it's okay." Kara whispered.

A red and blue missile fell from the sky onto Doomsday's grey hide. A mushroom cloud of dirt erupted, masking the action from Silvia's eyes. The ensuring impacts were infinitely louder than the ones that echoed through the city when Supergirl was beating down on the monster.

The bangs eventually became softer and rumbled through Silvia's bones... The dust settled, and a gigantic hole was pocked in the middle of the crater. From the hole hovered Superman.

His face was bruised and his costume was torn and tattered. The once bright 'S' was washed with soot and ash.

"Kara...?" He whispered.

Silvia ran a hand through Kara's hair as she spoke. "She's unconscious again but she's okay." She pushed to her feet as Clark came closer. He was probably checking her vitals with his x-ray vision. "Clark..." Silvia said.

Clark's attention shifted from Kara to Silvia. He wasn't smiling for once. "You're hurt."

"So are you." Silvia's voice trembled. "You've done your part. Someone else can take it from here."

Clark glanced to the ground and his eyes glazed over. "It threw me into a plane. One hundred and twenty six people dead... two hundred and five injured. It derailed a train. Two hundred and seventy two dead. Then it smashed through a construction site. Eighty people, broken and snapped. Twenty seconds, Sil... All of that in twenty seconds."

Silvia trembled. "D-Don't go...please...I'll do it."

Clark froze when he heard the words leave her lips. His face softened. Surely she knew that she didn't stand a chance... but she was so desperate she tried to take his place anyway. Any hostility between the two of them vanished, and Clark was reminded of the determination that made him fall for her in the first place, "There's no time. It has to be me, no one else can face him. I have to end this. Please...get to safety."

He embraced her one last time, wrapping his arms around her exhausted body and holding her head. "Silvia...I love you. More than you know." Clark softly pressed his lips to her masked forehead.

"Clark!"

He released her and hovered backwards, with that look on his face. The look that he gave her when he needed to go...

As suddenly as he always attacked, Doomsday pounced out of the deep chasm that Superman created with his body, talons outstretched towards the Man of Steel. Clark snapped his hand out, snatching Doomsday out of the air by the neck.

His eyes burned red as he grimaced, mustering all of his strength as he reeled his fist backwards. When Clark lashed forward with the punch, time seemed to slow down. The blow hit its mark smack in the middle of Doomsday's skull, and the sound came a second later.

No crack, or thud, but to Silvia it sounded like an explosion followed by white noise. The punch caved Doomsday's face in and shook everything in the immediate area. Silvia felt the shockwave reverberate through her sore muscles, and she fell onto her back.

Doomsday was flung backwards so fast, Silvia could've sworn that it teleported. It hit the edge of the crater, and skipped into the air, twirling uncontrollably.

Clark glanced over his shoulder at Silvia as she got to her knee. Without another word, he vanished with an ear-piercing boom.

"Cyborg...?" Silvia muttered into her comm.

For the first few seconds there was nothing then Victor's strained grunting sounded. "Silvia? I read you now. Got dropped into the subway...had to find another way out. What did I miss?"

"Clark's here now but Kara needs help, she's unconscious."

"Okay. I'll get a S.T.A.R response team on site."

The now familiar sound of a kryptonian trading blows with Doomsday started once again. "I-I'm going to stay close to them."

"...Maybe its best we keep our distance."

"Where exactly can we go that Doomsday can't follow?" Silvia replied as she went to mount her motorbike once more. "If Clark can't finish this then none of us are safe. He has to do it. I'll keep you posted."

Cyborg's comm fell as silent as the abandoned city around him. He knew that she was right. If Superman fell, he would need to know the moment it happened. Not only would those remaining within Metropolis have no chance of survival, but the monster would jump from country to country until nothing remained but rubble. They all believed that Clark would win...because if they thought otherwise, it would be expecting the end of life on Earth. "Be careful." was all Cyborg could say in such a dire situation.

There was a split second where no answer came through... then finally, with a deep breath, Silvia said "You too, Vic."

Nothing but the sound of an engine roaring down the broken streets could be heard after that, and the loud banging of two powerful beings tearing apart the sky.

The wheels on Silvia's motorcycle struggled through the craters and cracks littering the city, whenever it spun out and flung her over the handle bars, she'd jump straight back on and force it to continue. If she stopped for even a second she'd lose sight of the two of them.

After a little over an hour of chasing, Silvia finally noticed the fight slowing down...she was starting to catch up. Here, she began to notice even more wanton destruction. In her years being friends with the Justice League and eventually joining it. She'd never seen anything like this before. It was worse than the many war zones Silvia had witnessed. And to think that two beings were responsible for this mess and it wasn't even intentional, it was the equivalent of two normal people ramming each other into walls and knocking furniture over... it was frightening.

The road up ahead was strewn with so much rubble that there was no way Silvia was getting the bike through. With a growl, the Reaper bounded from her vehicle and landed in a sprint.

Her body had more than enough time to heal from the minor injuries she sustained from having a car drop on her, so Silvia now ran as fast as she could, slipping in and out of the carcasses of fallen structures.

The once distant booms became brain-trembling shocks, and the sheer noise was enough to overwhelm Silvia's senses. She couldn't hear anything after a while...

A human-shaped figure hurtled through the building ahead of her on the left, causing the mass of concrete and steel to fall. Silvia dove desperately, only barely clearing the debris.

She rolled to her feet and froze. There, to her right... Standing in its presence was the only thing that ever struck true fear into Silvia's heart.

It already recovered from dealing that strike to Clark...and poised for another attack. It stood at over twice Silvia's height, and was wider than any creature she'd seen. Its eyes were as red as fire...but it wasn't as fearsome as it once was. Its face was crushed, squashed. The bone was very obviously splintered. Littered over its body were burns and black-blooded cuts.

The wounded Doomsday raised an arm, and lazily swung the back of its hand at Silvia, as if she was of less trouble to him than a fly.

Silvia, being a human, couldn't even comprehend the speed at which she was hit. One second she was standing before it, the next, her body was twisted and mangled, wedged between a concrete wall and the dirt stained ground.

The immense pain took hold of her. Almost every bone in her body was shattered. All that left her mouth was a whimper, as she lay contorted in the battlefield.

What came next was a incredible roar so full of horror, so pained, that it seemed to make reality itself shudder at its existence. If it was a word, it was so loud that it was beyond human comprehension. Even through this, Silvia knew that it was Clark's voice. In response, blows that cracked the immediate structures sounded. Impacts so forceful that solid concrete cracked just from being close to the source.

Silvia could barely move. She tasted blood. Regardless of what had been done to her, she couldn't give up. She needed to make sure he was okay. She screamed, not from the pain, but from the sheer will that it took to urge her broken body to work. She could feel bone jutting out of her skin, scraping against the rough interior of her suit but she pressed on.

She slowly clawed her way out of the ruins and into the street. From the ground, she saw Clark fighting with unfathomable rage. His costume was rendered into rags, leaving his arms and chest bare. His body glistened with sweat and was sprinkled with bloody cuts.

Superman brutishly sent a haymaker at the now equally sluggish Doomsday, who threw a punch at the same time. The two fists impacted, and the adjoining arms folded, snapping under the incredible stress.

Blood, red and black, splattered across the street as the feedback split the very foundations of the city. Now very visibly worn, both combatants lashed forward with their opposite hands.

Doomsday's spiked knuckles landed on Clark's chest, and Clark socked the creature in the temple. The final blow of the fight brought a shockwave outward with the loudest crack of the day...then silence answered.

Silvia's heart stopped. It couldn't be...Clark had to be alive. He couldn't...die... He's Superman. Superman can't die... This sudden fear flicked that switch in her brain, the one that allowed her to ignore vigorous amounts of pain.

Silvia pushed upwards and stumbled into the street. In the middle of a crater were two bodies...one of a demon, and one of a saviour. Doomsday's head was a mess of black blood, caved in so that it was almost just a stump.

Superman was beaten up with a pool of blood forming beneath his limp form, his arm was broken, but he looked to be in much better shape.

Silvia forced herself to keep walking, despite the fact that she should be comatose if she was a normal person. She dropped by Clark's side and tried to get her throat to work. It was hoarse and dry, from her pained screams. "...Clark...! Clark...! Y-You did it...! C-Clark...wake up...!" She croaked, as she wrapped her arms around his body, cradling him.

Clark's eyes opened wearily, and seemed to freeze when they spied Silvia. His battered face was soaked with sweat. His left eye was swollen from severe bruising and blood ran from his mouth. His face cracked in a smile and his breathing rattled.

Clark raised a hand, and it tenderly ran down Silvia's cheek...

Without a word, the hand fell. His head tilted as the muscles released. His eyes stared unfocused into the distance. And a weak breath escaped his lips.

"Clark, no! No!! P-Please, don't go!!" Silvia shrieked.

The music of Downtown Metropolis that day at late sunset was the sobbing and pleading of a woman who had lost everything, and the silence of a man who had given everything.


	51. Fifty-One

**_Chapter Fifty-One: Funeral for a Friend_**

Superman's body lay destroyed inside the crater, right in the middle of the city he had died trying to protect. His eyes were still as blue as the sky in summer but there was no light in them. The sun had faded out of existence.

Batman had arrived soon after the fight ended, but he was far too late... not that he would have been much help anyway. When he caught sight of his friend's body every muscle unhinged. They tightened, contracted, loosened, then finally lost all strength. Somehow he managed to remain standing but for every second his legs were forced to keep him upright it felt like they were being crushed.

Martian Manhunter and Ice were next to arrive having just recovered from their fight with Doomsday. They had heard that Superman fell during the battle but they didn't truly believe it until they witnessed the sight with their own eyes. I've had started crying almost instantly and J'onn had to lead her away from the scene.

They were all stuck staring at the motionless hero, and at the woman sobbing next to him. Silvia had screamed until her throat was dry and nothing could be produced but loud, choked coughs. She cried until there was nothing left but a raw emptiness that nibbled at her insides like a hungry rat. Her irises were threaded scarlet and her eyes hung heavy in their sockets. Her whole body was limp like each limb weighed twice as much as it had before and just moving it about was a slow, painful effort.

Still, despite how weak her body felt, she pressed her hands against Clark's chest and applied pressure in frantic intervals. She didn't have nearly enough strength to give him CPR, his chest was as solid as steel beneath her fingers, but such logical thoughts were lost to her. She tried to resuscitate him for twenty minutes straight but his body grew colder with every moment that passed.

A few medics from S.T.A.R labs finally arrived as the rescue teams did. They were scavenging the rubble for survivors and the doctors took Silvia's place trying to restart Superman's heart. Dr. Hamilton had rushed over with his own altered version of the defibrillator, one based on the little knowledge he had about Kryptonian physiology.

The Doctor rubbed the machines paddles together, preparing the electrical current before yelling 'clear!'. All the medical staff around him immediately halted any contact with Superman before he brought the paddles down onto his chest. The body barely moved an inch... maybe it didn't move at all.

"Turn it higher." Dr Hamilton yelled and one of the nurses did so. He repeated his actions but still nothing. It was doubtful that the electrical current was even reaching Superman's heart through the thick skin. "Higher!"

"But doctor..." one of the medics started but quickly shut her mouth when Hamilton gave her a serious glare. She turned it all the way up until the machine started making a buzzing sound, like the electricity was starting to leak out.

"Clear!" He shouted once more and brought the pads back down. There was a slight but barely noticeable jolt to Superman's body from the sheer amount of energy... then a loud banging. The defibrillator had blown apart. Hamilton cursed under his breath and turned towards the busted machine. "Still no heartbeat?"

A nurse pressed two fingers against Superman's pulse line and placed her head on his chest. "Nothing..."

Hamilton immediately hung his head and took a shaky inhale. "Call it..."

The medic behind him sadly shifted his gaze to the watch on his wrist. "Time of death, 4:30 pm."

The words ran through Silvia's mind tauntingly. She scurried back to his body, tearing him from the nurses grasp and holding his head to her chest. "Y-You can't g-give up... not yet!"

"I'm sorry." Hamilton said sincerely, trying to avoid looking at the bloodied body. "Even if we could somehow hit him with lightening, I still don't think it would be enough."

"B-But you haven't tried!" Silvia sobbed, voice croaky and almost inaudible no matter how much she tried to project. "Th-There has to be something... Anything!... P-Please, we owe him more than this!"

The doctor shook his head as the medics around him begun to pack. "There's nothing more we can do. We still have little knowledge of the Kryptonian body... That defibrillator was our first and last option."

Silvia's entire being ached, the source of the pain throbbing from her chest. It felt like every string of her heart had been cut one by one, every tube that kept blood flowing through her veins. The organ no longer had any use, it was just dead weight in her chest.

"Th-Then make new options!" Silvia cried desperately, clinging to any hope that Clark could be saved. "We... W-We could... H-He absorbs energy, I-If we just keep him in the sun for a little while..."

Never had Silvia seen so much pity in someone's eyes when she blurted out that option, nor so much sympathy. The doctor knew well that this wouldn't work, that the very idea was something a child would say, but she was grieving so he simply shook his head again.

Silvia racked her brain for more options. There had to be something. She tightened her grip on his body, fingers draped in his blood. "Th-There's a red sun in the Fortress! It... It dulls his powers! If we bring it here you could try to r-revive him as a regular person!"

The doctor sighed. "That's not how it works. His heart isn't human. He isn't human. Powers or no powers."

Hamilton had only just finished speaking when a noise like rocks crushing beneath heavy metal pierced their ears.

"Kal...?" Supergirl's voice cracked. She tried to step forward but her legs gave way beneath her and she collapsed.

Powergirl showed up seconds later, but the minute she saw Superman's body she shot back into the sky again. A scream followed her disappearance, one that shook the very ground they were on.

The time passed in a blur. None of them knew how long they had been there, it didn't seem to matter. Eventually a team came by to move Doomsdays body, Silvia didn't know how. She didn't care how. All she could do was stare at Clark, begging for him to come back.

"Excuse me, miss..." A voice suddenly said from beside her. "We have to take his body in now."

Silvia's gaze snapped into their direction, tears still spilling down her face and eyes unable to fully open. "Where...?" She hissed.

"To S.T.A.R Labs... there's a coroner waiting there. He needs to examine the body before rigor mortis sets in."

Silvia's world collapsed - the light Clark had ignited inside of her became nothing but darkness, the pain coming and going like waves washing away the sand. She was being forced to accept the reality of his passing, but her mind rejected that truth.

"He's not dead... You're not taking him!" Silvia growled.

Someone grabbed her arms and yanked her backwards, away from Superman's body and presenting the medics with an opportunity to take him. Silvia struggled in his grip, and he wasn't strong enough to hold her for long. She whacked her elbow backwards and heard the distinct grunt of Batman.

Silvia scurried for Superman's body again but this time someone much stronger took hold of her. Every time she twisted against their hands it felt like her arms were going to snap in half.

"Silvia... let them take him." Wonder Woman said sadly.

She wasn't sure when the Amazon had showed up, but it was of little relevance in Silvia's mind. "Let go of me, Diana." She spat as if each word was laced with poison. When Wonder Woman refused to loosen her grip she looked at them all in disgust. "How can you declare his death so easily?! After everything he's done for us!"

She screamed at them for what felt like hours but it didn't change anything. No matter what she said they still took his body away and left her there, in the crater drenched in Clark's blood.

\--

The sun shone brilliantly and the virescent colour of the spring day under it's glare was offensively bright and cheerful. It was as if nature had conspired to show Silvia how the world would go on without Clark. It shouldn't. Everything should have been as grey and foggy as it was through her eyes, it should have been cold and damp with silent air. But the birds still sang and the flowers still bloomed.

Silvia walked behind the coffin like a silhouette of herself, wishing she really was as insubstantial as the shadows so that her insides didn't feel so mangled. Other heroes that were close to Superman were there too; including Supergirl and Powergirl. Others, however, were having their own ceremonies and memorials for him in different cities. Aquaman and Wonder Woman were rulers of whole countries; their responsibilities lay with their respective peoples.

It was an international day of mourning, but Silvia couldn't help but feel outrage at the idea. The same people that had ridiculed and hated him for years were now standing in the crowd, ashen faced and shrouded in black.

Worse than this was the fact that the government had insisted on keeping Superman's body and burying it in Metropolis. Regardless of how hard Silvia fought to get him sent back to his family, to be buried next to his father, they refused all of her requests. Apparently Lex Luthor had insisted he stay in Metropolis and he had much more influence than Silvia... Not to mention more money.

There was a sermon, a long one, talking about Superman's achievements and how the world will be at a loss without him. The words felt hollow though. They didn't know Clark as a man, only as a symbol that everyone wanted a piece of.

A few soldiers folded the American flag over his coffin, and finally, they carried him into the giant mausoleum. A statue of Superman stood on top of it, the 'S' on his chest as big as a small building. It was so artificial that Silvia felt like it insulted his memory. Clark was a simple man. He wouldn't want to be buried under a giant image of himself. A part of Silvia went down into that monstrous structure with Clark and died with him.

"What's he doing here?" Supergirl snarled, turning Silvia's attention away from the closing mausoleum doors.

Standing there, next to Hawkgirl, was Lex Luthor. Silvia had never felt so much rage boil through her at once. She turned on her heel, and without warning, marched in the multimillionaire's direction.

"What's the matter with you...?" Silvia sneered, teeth baring like a feral animal.

"Ah...always a pleasure." Lex said with his usual suave. He smiled at her and directed towards the crowds pouring into Downtown Metropolis. "If you'd care to look around, I think you'd find that this is a public ceremony. Legally speaking, I have as much right to be here as you do."

Silvia grabbed the man by his collar, tight enough to delay air flow. Luthor instantly raised a hand, motioning for his guards to stand back.

"I don't give a fuck." Silvia spat.

"Given your...past endeavours...that doesn't surprise me." He spoke as if he was completely unfazed by her grip, and he stared right through her with more confidence than anyone she'd ever met.

"Then you'd know what I'll do to you if you don't leave." Silvia's whole face scrunched up. She was dying to hit something, to take her anger out on someone.

"With all due respect, you need to calm yourself." Lex dropped his charming smirk. "This is a day for mourning open to everyone." He stated coldly.

Silvia tightened her hold on his collar. "You've tried to kill him, and you're the reason his family has to bury an empty casket." She snarled.

"Until you provide me with names, expecting me to do something about that is ridiculous. I'm sure you can understand why I can't hand over the body of the most powerful being in the universe based on conjecture." Lex told her.

Silvia didn't back dow but the decision to reveal Martha's relation to Superman was dangerous. She didn't want to make that choice for her. It could mean that she would never have peace and quiet.

Power Girl puffed up her chest and stepped forward, towering over all of Luthor's followers. "He isn't worth the effort, Reaper. He's trash."

Silvia didn't show any signs of wanting to let go, but she did. Luthor peered down his nose at her, fixing his impeccable tie. "He'd be disgusted by your barbarism, you know."

"Aw, hell." Power Girl grunted.

Silvia had thrown herself at Luthor, and sent the pair of them to the ground. Her knuckles slammed themselves into his face over and over, as Luthor's guards scrambled furiously to peel the vicious attacker off of the man.

Needless to say, they weren't enough to pull Silvia off. Instead, Power Girl grimaced as she watched the beating for several seconds. She then brushed passed the helpless guards, and lifted Silvia into the air with one hand. "I've waited too long to see you get your ass handed to you like that." Powergirl spat.

Lex waved, and his guards stepped backwards. He pulled himself upwards, face covered in blood and dark purple bruises. "Look at you...starting fights at his funeral. And you think I have no right to speak about what he'd approve of?"

Power Girl pulled Silvia away, as she continued trying to fight the kryptonian's unbeatable strength with aggressive roars. "He's trying to press your buttons, it's what he does. He wanted you to do that." Powergirl whispered.

She escorted Reaper back to Supergirl and gently placed her on the ground. If she wasn't so overcome with rage, Silvia may have been distracted by seeing Power Girl and Supergirl in the same place. After all, they were both Kara Zor-El; Power Girl was just an older version from an alternate reality. She stood two heads taller than Supergirl, had about triple the muscle and ten times more confidence.

"He's lucky I didn't rip his balls off and stuff them down his throat..." Silvia muttered furiously, watching Luthor stride away with his guards. He looked rather smug for someone with a possible concussion.

"I'd pay to see someone do that." Powergirl stated with just as much anger shivering in her voice. "As long as that someone wasn't you."

"Why not?" Silvia bit bitterly. "I've gotten good at it over the years."

"We've got to respect Kal's memory." Supergirl spoke up, tears still streaming freely down her cheeks. "And he wouldn't want you to do that."

Silvia redirected her gaze to the floor with a sigh. "I think he'd be expecting me to start at least one fight... He wasn't exactly dating me for my selflessness, or my patience, for that matter."

The Kryptonian's exchanged sorrowful looks but Powergirl, as usual, was the first to speak up. "You're right, I'm sorry, we all deal with grief differently. I'm not saying that I approve, but as long as you don't kill anyone..."

"Don't worry, I'm not that desperate to be rid of Clark's influence on me." Silvia tried to say with a light tone but it only ended up sounding even more pained than before.

"Well, maybe coming to Gotham with us tonight will help." Supergirl suggested with a weak smile.

"And why exactly would going there make me feel any better?"

Powergirl took over, noticing that Supergirl's voice was all but gone from the constant sobbing. It was almost as bad as Silvia's. "We're having a farewell for Kal... a more private one."

"Will Bruce be there?"

"Yes... it was his idea."

Silvia scoffed. "Then absolutely not. I don't want to spend my night listening to him complain about my presence."

"Well, he's the one that told us to invite you..."

Silvia's expression turned to slight surprise for a split second, but it quickly fell back into grief. "Why the hell would he want me there?"

"You two might not get along but he knows how important you were to Kal. It wouldn't really feel like a farewell without you there."

Silvia's eyes lingered over to the statue of Superman and she instantly regretted it. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in an attempt to not collapse in a sobbing mess. "I don't know... I'm going to Smallville tonight anyway."

"Come on, you can catch the train from Gotham station afterwards." Powergirl insisted. "You don't want your last goodbye to be of you beating the life out of Luthor, do you?"

Silvia's gaze fell on the statue once more. It's eyes were dim and made of stone. It had none of the likeness of Clark... not even close. She felt like she had run out of tears but she somehow managed to find more. Her shoulders slumped under the hand of death. "Alright... I guess I can spare an hour or two."

She didn't want to go. The reality of Clark's death was already hitting her too hard. It would've felt wrong to be the only one to not attend though, so she agreed anyway. She spent much of the remaining time staring at that statue, pointing out every single detail wrong with it. Silvia had memorised Clark's face, his body, his expressions... and that memorial didn't do him justice.


	52. Fifty-Two

**_Chapter Fifty-Two: Memorial_**

Silvia's stomach churned before she even had the chance to set foot into the building. She was already aware of the sympathy she'd be getting from everyone inside, and it's not something that she wanted. She didn't want their pity, or their memorials, she just wanted Clark back.

Powergirl and Supergirl entered the giant tower before her, the doors swinging so that Silvia could see a glimmer of the inside before they completely pulled themselves closed. There weren't many people from what she had seen and that knowledge granted her at least a little comfort.

Serpents felt like they had been nesting in her chest for weeks now, and it were as if those creatures were the only thing forcing her into that room - the hope that their painful venom may be dulled by saying a final goodbye.

The atmosphere was much more relaxed than Silvia had been expecting. The moment she entered she could hear the faint chatting and laughing of familiar voices.

"So then Clark dropped his glass, filled to the brim with wine, and while he was down picking up the pieces he pretended to cut his finger!" Hal's loud voice boomed with amusement.

"Surely they saw that he wasn't bleeding." Diana said skeptically.

"That's the thing! While they were distracted he had dipped his finger into the tub of ketchup that came with our fries! They were none the wiser, never accused him of being Superman again!"

There was a roar of laughter from the group just as Silvia turned the corner. Barry smirked. "Guess that clumsy act was more convincing than we thought."

Silvia couldn't exactly disagree. She was fool enough to believe that he was just some fumbling reporter. He was actually a pretty good actor to convince so many people that he was the biggest loser on the planet... then again, without the powers he was the biggest loser on the planet.

Hal was the first to notice her in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes focused on the floor as if she had suddenly taken up an interest in carpets. "Silvia..." he had said just loud enough to grab her attention. She glanced up and provided them with the weakest smile he'd ever seen.

"It is good that you came." Diana quickly added. "For a while we weren't sure if you would."

Silvia took several breaths in order to muster up a shrug. "Figured I'd bless you with my presence at least once more."

"Once more?" Richard jumped to his feet and took a less ethical approach, grabbing a bottle of beer from the cooler and chucking it in her direction. She caught it, but not as easily as usual. Her mind was elsewhere. Richard directed towards the spare seat next to him. "Are you going somewhere we don't know about?"

"She's going to Smallville, apparently." Powergirl answered for her. "To see Martha."

Silence filled the room as deadly as any toxin. What was once a group of friends reminiscing was now as still as a graveyard. They all exchanged sorrowful looks, unsure whether to speak on the matter or not. Hal decided to break the awkward atmosphere by asking "So... How's Martha holding up?" but he regretted it as soon as the words had left his mouth.

"She lost her husband a while ago, now she's lost her son... Her only son. She's doing as well as you could expect." Silvia replied rather darkly.

The room fell still again, Hal instantly sealing his lips shut and leaning back against the couch. Silvia let out a huff. She knew she'd end up ruining it somehow... Clark wouldn't have wanted the night to end like this. He wouldn't want them to be sitting in solemn sadness.

For the sake of Clark's memory, Silvia managed to bite back her grief for long enough to speak. "So... what were you talking about before?"

"Oh, just the time a few detectives discovered that Clark was Superman." Hal jumped at the opportunity to end the awkward exchanges. "He was younger, a little less cautious. Apparently he had landed in an alley as Superman and walked out as Clark. When they didn't see Superman follow they came to the conclusion that they must be the same person. The speculation didn't last long, not after he put on the dorky act."

Somehow, the reminder of Clark's clumsy persona brought a genuine smile to Silvia's face. It was sad, and trembled when it reached too far, but it was still the first real relief she'd had from her pain. "Yeah... He was always good at that."

"Good enough to fool you." Hal grinned.

"Speaking of which, Clark never told us about how you found out he was Superman." Aquaman started, voice as clear as you'd expect from a ruler. "Must be a good story."

"Not really..." Silvia answered stubbornly, tightening her grip on the beer bottle and taking a large gulp.

"Aww come on." Supergirl begged cutely. "I've always wanted to know!"

Silvia gave the Kryptonian a blank stare. She didn't want to tell them, her selfish nature had taken hold. That was her memory... One of the last remnants of Clark that she had left. It was a flawed and embarrassing moment in their lives, but it was still theirs. Silvia didn't want to share it with anybody else. When she sensed the anticipation hanging in the air, however, she decided that they needed to hear it - to bring them peace for at least a few more minutes.

"I... don't know where to start." She sighed, slouching in the seat and taking another swig of alcohol.

"Well, when did he tell you?" Diana assisted. "You can start there."

"He didn't tell me. A wall fell on us and he caught it. His glasses came off." Silvia stated a little blandly. She had never been talented in story telling, whether it was retelling real events or fabricating fiction.

"Really?" Powergirl shuffled forward on the opposite couch. "I thought for sure he would have told you before it came to that."

"What did you do?" Barry asked curiously.

"I... shot him." Silvia replied and the whole room fell into murmurs. Most of them looked surprised at first, but Hal and Richard smirked as if they had expected this answer.

"Trust you of all people to shoot a bulletproof man." Hal laughed.

"It was those fucking glasses, I swear." Silvia huffed. "I couldn't believe that he'd fooled me with a pair of stupid lenses."

"Yeah, welcome to the club." Barry chuckled, wiping biscuit crumbs off his lap. "So he saved your life, and you shot him?"

"I knew it wouldn't hurt him." Silvia shrugged. "And he broke my favourite gun the first time we met, so I'd say that evened the score."

"Glad it wasn't me." Richard teased. "I would've shot you back."

"And you would've missed." Silvia tried to say playfully, but it only came out with indifference. She was hurting too much for any of her words to have true emotion in them.

Unfortunately for her, Richard noticed. In fact, they all noticed. None of them mentioned it though. It was like they were taking pity on her and instead decided to engage in a completely different conversation.

Silvia collapsed even further into her seat and chugged down the rest of her beer. She slammed the bottle against the table and wiped her mouth against her sleeve. To any outsider she looked like an empty shell of what she once was, and of the person Clark had made her.

As the rest of the team continued talking, Martian Manhunter noticed her troubled look. He had been sitting on the sidelines, silent as the grave, and clutching a plate of Oreos to his chest. He looked down at his favourite food, then back up at Silvia to speak in a very reluctant voice. "Would you like a confectionery treat?"

The blonde girl glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow at his choice of words. J'onn looked exactly like he sounded - odd. Silvia shuffled forward and took an Oreo from the platter with a nod of gratitude, certain in the knowledge that this was his way of trying to cheer her up.

This one biscuit lasted longer than any other edible substance in the room. Barry's fast metabolism ensured that anything everyone else didn't eat, he did. Silvia, on the other hand, spent the rest of her time staring at that Oreo. She followed every line, every crack, memorised its surface. When she finally pulled to her feet she tucked the Oreo into her pocket, having no intention of actually eating it. Most of her appetite had vanished anyway...

"I'd better get going." Silvia said after a long while of sitting in silence. "The last bus to Smallville leaves soon."

The talking stopped all at once and they all spared a second to look at her. They didn't seem sure of what to say. Diana, however, commented anyway. "Come back and visit us when you can."

Silvia didn't have an answer. This was Clark's city... She didn't know if she could bare coming back. It just felt hollow without him. "Goodbye." was all Silvia could say,she wasn't going to make promises she couldn't keep. "Thanks for the drink."

The air trickled a chill down her spine as Silvia turned to leave, but every day was cold to her now. The sun could have been shining its brightest outside, scorching peoples skin red in mere moments and reducing them to nothing but piles of sweat, and Silvia still wouldn't feel it.

"Silvia." Someone called out before she could make it to the exit... A voice that hadn't spoken at all that night.

The blonde turned, but with much hesitation. "What do you want, Bruce?"

"I know what you're doing." He said sternly. "And you need to stop."

Silvia's eyebrows furrowed together. "It would help if I knew what the fuck you were talking about."

"You're closing yourself off from everyone." Bruce stated, but in his monotone voice it really didn't sound like he was too concerned about her... More about what she might start doing again. "I know because I do the same thing. Clark wouldn't want you to reverse all the progress you made."

"Look, I won't start killing again, if that's what you mean."

Bruce crossed his arms, and now Silvia realised that he was a lot taller than she thought. "I'm just saying that you've gained more friends than just Clark over the years, and I may not be one of them but they care about you, remember that."

"And maybe you should take your own advice." Silvia replied bitterly.

"Maybe." Bruce answered, face darkening. "I didn't come out here to talk to you for my own enjoyment. I'm doing it because it's what Clark would want."

Silvia felt pang of guilt ache in her abdomen as Bruce turned to walk away. She had no idea how to make things less aggressive between them, and though he had tried she was the one making it worse. She bit her lip and called out "I'd thank you for inviting me... but I'd never live it down if I did."

Perhaps this wasn't the best way to apologise for her stubbornness, but Bruce seemed to understand what she meant. He did raise Richard after all. The dark-haired man smirked and retaliated with "Niether would I"

As Bruce made his way back to the group, Barry took his place. He looked even more uncomfortable there than Silvia did, if that was at all possible. "Hey."

"Uh... hi?"

Barry shifted on the spot, hands constantly clutching into fists nervously. "There's no real easy way to say this." He started, rolling his shoulders, and biting his lip, and doing almost anything he could to distract himself. "But I just wanted to tell you that I know how you feel, and I'm sorry."

Silvia's expression contorted in uncertainty. "You do?" She said, obviously unconvinced that he had any idea of her heartbreak.

"Yeah, I do." Barry replied and all other movement from him stopped. "I lost someone I loved as well."

"I know about your mother, and as horrible as that is I don't think it's the same as-"

"I'm not talking about her." He raised his voice a little and Silvia instantly regretted ever mentioning it. "I lost someone else. Someone I wanted to spend my life with."

Silvia gulped down the bad taste that had arisen in her mouth. She really was a bigger jerk than she realised sometimes. "What happened?"

"I can't tell you much, but let's just say that we were from completely different worlds...Different times. She died ages ago." Barry inhaled shakily. "People tell you that it gets easier, but it never does. You just learn to live with the pain. You adapt to it by instinct because the agony's too much for anyone to live with. I wanted to be honest with you... So I won't lie about how losing Clark will eventually not affect you, because it always will. I just want you to know that I'm here if the burden ever weighs you down."

Silvia forced down the lump that formed in her throat, the one that threatened to break her down. He sounded sincere, and it was the first completely truthful thing anyone had said to her since it had happened. "Thank you."

Barry nodded but his expression had twisted in sorrow the moment he had mentioned this mystery woman. It stayed that way the entirety of the walk back to his friends.

The flutter of conversation filled the room again but a voice was missing. Supergirl had wandered out onto the balcony, having spotted Billy over there. She looked back at Silvia with her hand on the boy's back then waved her over.

The ex-vigilante groaned. She didn't want to engage in any more social interaction. She just wanted to leave. Supergirl was persistent, however, and Silvia eventually marched over to the two figures with a look of pure irritation.

When she got there Supergirl left with nothing but a hushed whisper of "Talk to him."

Now Silvia was fuming. Not only had she been coxed into another awkward exchange, but Kara had just left her there for no good reason. She had just started to feel the tension seep into her skin when she heard a small sniffle coming from Billy's direction.

This instantly wiped any anger from her face, and instead, replaced it with concern. "H-Hey... Are you alright, kid?"

Billy's spine stiffened but his arms still trembled with grief. He brought his palms up to wipe any tears off his face but the trails they had left on his cheeks were still visible. "Yeah, I'm f-fine."

Silvia's lips tightened into a grimace. "I may not have 'the Wisdom of Solomon', or whatever it is, but I can tell when someone's lying to me."

Billy bit his quivering lip. "Everyone's really happy talking about Clark... I don't want to upset them, especially not you."

Silvia approached the railing, wrapping her hands around its cold surface and looking out over the view of Gotham. It was just a never ending labyrinth of back allies and narrow sidewalks. "The only way you can upset me is by not telling me what's bothering you."

"I just..." Billy's voice was barely audible and choked back with sobs. Silvia was reminded of just how young he was. He may have been smart enough to understand what happened, but that didn't mean that he was old enough to deal with it. "Superman was suspicious of me at first, ya know? And when he found out that I was a kid he was dead against me being involved in catching criminals."

"Of course he was, no one wants to see a kid fighting a war that isn't theirs."

Billy shrugged. He wasn't an adult, and so he didn't see the harm in it. "When I told him that I wasn't ever going to stop defending Earth he accepted my choice. He always kept a close eye on me after that though... He was like the father I always wanted."

The blonde placed a a hand on the boy's shoulder comfortingly. "He probably saw himself in you."

"I... I hope so." Billy tried to blink away the tears that started to reform but it only made it worse. "I wanted to be like just him... I s-still do."

"I think we all do. He's a better person than any of us could ever hope to be." Silvia mumbled and Billy nodded. Still, these words didn't seem to comfort him in the least. Silvia took a deep breath and continued. "But if anyone can do it, you can."

The boy finally gazed up at her, eyes glossy and nose running. "Really?" He said in a shaky voice.

"Clark certainly thought so." Silvia smiled.

Billy's expression softened but that only made it easier for his grief to break the surface. "I-I... miss him."

"I know, I do too." Silvia knelt down to eye level with him, left hand placed on his shoulder and right wiping away the tears trailing down his cheek. "But as long as we remember what he stood for Clark's influence will stay with us, whether it be from what he taught us in the past or the decisions we make in the future. If we keep him in our hearts he will never disappear entirely."

This was the kind of speech that usually made Silvia herself inwardly cringe, and it still did, but it was apparent that the kid needed it. She was fairly sure it sounded like any other cliche 'his spirit lives on' lecture, the ones from corny dramas, but it needed to be said for Billy's sake.

The boy nodded, stifled a sob, then finally leaned in to hug Silvia. She froze at the gesture, brain unable to process how she was suppose to respond. Ultimately she settled for patting him on the head... very awkwardly.

"H-Hey." She forced her voice back out into the open, pulling him back and digging a hand in her pocket when his attention was directed elsewhere. "Want a cookie?"

Billy stared at her, then to the Oreo, in confusion. Her offer felt so out of place in their conversation that it sent him back peddling.

"Uh... sure. Thanks." He answered, taking the biscuit but not completely computing what she had just said. His eyes scanned the treat, narrowing when they came across a chunk of black lint. "Has this been in your pocket?"

Silvia rubbed her neck nervously. "Wh-What? Of course not, that'd be gross... I got it from J'onn, and he was holding them pretty tightly to his costume, so it must be from him."

Billy's brow furrowed and his lips poured childishly. "But J'onn doesn't wear black..."

"He doesn't?" Silvia laughed anxiously and quickly stepped away. "Well, that's weird. I'd best be going, my bus leaves soon, catch ya later."

She had changed the topic so swiftly that Billy barely had time to disprove her argument, and by the time he'd finally registered that she was trying to escape the situation, she was already running out the door. The small boy huffed, picking the strands of fabric off his biscuit. "Bye, Sil..."

\--

Author's Note: In case anyone's interested in what Flash said, this story is only one of a whole DC series that I'm working. The Flash one's called Escape Velocity and can be found on my page.


	53. Fifty-Three

**_Chapter Fifty-Three: Fallen Son_**

The farm grew up out of the pale green hills as if it had always been part of the scenery. The house itself was a beautiful brick, the colours being the hues of the land herself, rustic brown striations on grey rock. It was any kids dream. It ran on for acres and had a plethora of animals stationed at every few clicks. It was only home to one woman now though, one too old and heartbroken to enjoy the vast beauty of such a place as well as maintain it.

Silvia trudged up the long driveway, a sack of clothes strapped to her back the whole way up. The sky stood as an inky canopy, swallowing her entire being and only leaving a few stars behind to guide her to the house.

She still remembered the sickening feeling in her stomach the moment she knocked on the door, and how it intensified when the wooden slab was swung open. She wasn't sure if Martha even approved of her, let alone wanted to see her. Any doubt vanished from her mind though when Martha collapsed in her arms, the very sight of her sending the woman into a ferocious cycle of grief.

Martha sobbed into her chest unceasingly, hands clutching at her jacket. Silvia held the woman in silence, rocking her slowly as tears soaked her chest. A tiny lapse let Martha pull away, blinking lashes heavy with tears, before she collapsed again, her howls of misery worsening. The pain must have come in waves, minutes of sobbing broken apart by short pauses for recovering breaths, before hurling her back into the outstretched arms of her losses.

Silvia tried to stay strong for the woman, holding herself upright and refusing any sobs to choke from her throat. Holding the pain back only made it worse, and eventually she couldn't stop her own stray tears from trickling down her cheeks. Her lip quivered and a whimper soon followed. She quickly bit it back, focusing all her energy on supporting Martha's weight. If she lost herself to the sorrow as well then she would surely lose all physical strength.

"My boy... my sweet boy..." Martha cried between bursts of sharp gasps and sobs. "They're gone... they're both gone..."

Silvia felt her breath hitch at the effort it took to not break down. Martha probably hadn't had anyone to hold her through her mourning, or to listen to her bawl. It was once Jonathan's job, then Clark's, and now the responsibility fell to Silvia. She rubbed the woman's back and let her weep for the family she had lost, every single wail like an icy dagger piercing her heart.

It was at least an hour later before they both made it back inside, but Martha seemed happy to have Silvia there. She had even given her Clark's old room, though this only reminded Silvia that he was gone.

It was exactly how she would picture Clark's childhood room to look. The small bed had been swapped out for a large one for the occasions he visited as an adult, but the rest of the room had been left largely untouched. There were framed pictures of his school friends, a football nestled in the corner, and a few awards onto of the wardrobe.

The majority of them were given for 'participation'. Not one of them was a gold medal or a first place ribbon. It just proved that Clark had always been a humble, selfless person. It must have been difficult having the ability to come first but needing the restraint to come last.

"It use to annoy him." Martha's voice suddenly spoke from the doorway. "Having to hold back his powers."

Silvia turned her attention towards the small, fragile woman as she shuffled into the room. "I'm sure it did."

"Him and Jonathan argued a lot when he hit puberty. Clark thought his father was holding him back, and that we were ashamed of his gifts." Martha took a seat next to Silvia on the edge of the bed. "More than once he insisted that we just tell the world and be done with it."

Silvia's brow wrinkled. "Why didn't you?"

"Because we knew that's not what he really wanted." Martha smiled, it was sad and didn't quite reach her eyes but it was enough to put Silvia at ease. "He just wanted to use his powers to help people without the fear of being rejected by the world. He wanted a normal life, but he also didn't want to ignore that he could make a difference."

"So you came up with the secret identity idea instead?"

Martha shook her head. "We came up with that when he moved to Metropolis. Smallville... Well, Clark struggled to find his place while he was here."

Silvia froze, eyes widening and breath stopping altogether. "W-Wait... So the people here know?... I mean, if he didn't start wearing glasses until he moved away, they'd recognise him wouldn't they?"

Martha patted her shoulder and shrugged. "Some might know, others might not. It's a small town and a close community, even if they did know, it's not something they would reveal."

Silvia's posture slumped forward and she rested her elbows on her knees. Trust didn't come easily to her and the idea of the whole town knowing such an important secret made her feel uneasy. "I hope you're right..."

"They haven't told anyone so far." Martha replied confidently. "If they had, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Silvia was still unsure but nodded regardless. She supposed the people of Smallville deserved more credit than she was willing to give.

"Apart from that though, he didn't trust many people with his secret identity directly." Martha shuffled a little further onto the bed. She looked like the world had fallen around her and she had to bare all the weight. "When he allowed you to see him as he was... That was the moment he knew he wanted you in his life forever."

Silvia shivered at the memories this brought up. Ones of her treating Clark with hostility and anger. "He's a terrible judge of character..."

"A few years ago I might have agreed with you." She placed a hand comfortingly on Silvia's shoulder. "But after that day you protected Jonathan and I, we saw why he had chosen you."

Silvia scoffed, shrugging the woman's hand off of her guiltily. "Evidently, I didn't protect you well enough to deserve that kind of praise."

"Jonathan's death had nothing to do with you. That wasn't your fault."

"But if I had stopped that stupid fucking robot sooner... If he hadn't been in such a stressful situation then maybe-"

"It does us no good to dwell on maybe's. Jonathan's heart had been weakening for years. He was getting old, dear, as am I. You broke yourself apart stopping that thing. I saw it with my own eyes, and he did too."

Silvia had to admire Martha. After all she had been through, all the heartbreak and loss, she still stood strong against the changing winds that tried to pummel her over. She wished she was half that strong... Maybe if she was she wouldn't have needed Martha's approval to forgive herself for that day. "Thank you."

"Our family sticks together, I know you did all you could to protect them."

"I'm not family... I lost that chance." Silvia averted her gaze to the ground. The carpet was a deep royal blue and rough against her feet. "I've done a lot of things in my life that I wish I could take back, but I'll never regret anything as much as the day I walked out on Clark. I wanted to say yes so badly but I knew he deserved better... and then he died thinking that I-"

Martha's hand patted Silvia's back, halting her words and finally releasing a loud, aching sob. "He knew that you loved him." The woman said sadly. "To him, there was nothing more certain in this world than the feelings you both had for each other."

"I just w-wish that I could go b-back... I wish I could tell myself that I was being an idiot."

Martha gave the blonde a look of sympathy similar to the one the locals of Smallville had been plaguing her with. She dug into her pocket with her free hand and outstretched the closed fist towards Silvia. "...It's not too late."

The girl looked confused. Her eyes brimming with tears but still they narrowed as her head fell to one side. "Wh-What do you mean?"

One by one Martha's fingers unfurled like a flower in bloom, each one loosening in quick succession with the other to reveal an old-fashioned ring. "He gave it back to me soon after your fight. I believe his exact words were 'I'll try again later, we have plenty of time'."

The world had felt dim without Clark, no sound and no light, but hearing how forgiving he had been made that collapse into complete emptiness. Silvia thought that her grief couldn't get any worse but now it tore at her chest like sharp razors. She tried to take a breath, to force her cries back down her throat, but it only made her whole body shake with the effort it took.

"I-I couldn't..." She managed to choke out through shivered intakes of air. "J-Jonathan gave that to y-you."

"And I gave it to Clark to give to you. As painful as it is, when Jonathan died it was his time to go. We had a long and happy life together, we both knew what was coming next." Martha took Silvia's hand in hers, leaving the ring placed between their cupped palms. "You weren't as lucky as I was. Clark was taken before he even had the chance to start a life of his own. I have an entire home of photos and memories of my Jonathan, but this ring is all you have as a reminder of the bond Clark wanted to make with you. Keep it, you'll need it more than I will."

Silvia's lip quivered, and when Martha's worn hand slid away the ring was sitting between the closed creases of her fingers. She didn't know what to say... 'Thank you' just didn't seem like enough. Even as Martha heaved herself back onto her feet and headed towards the door Silvia remained silent.

"The only regret I have is not being there to say goodbye to my son." Martha finally continued as she reached the room's exit. "But I'm going to correct that. If you'd like to join me, I'm taking a few of his things to bury at the place my husband and I first found him."

Silvia finally forced her eyes away from the ground long enough to give Martha a grateful look. She nodded. "I'd like that."

There were no words to describe Silvia's appreciation. Martha not only showed her the place Clark had crashed when he was a baby, but allowed her to attend a private moment between her and the son she had lost. In that endless field Clark's presence seemed more present than at the actual memorial in Metropolis. It made both women grieve even harder for him.

They had remained there until nightfall, time sprinting away from them until they suddenly realised how cold it had become. Silvia walked Martha back to the house but somehow found herself wandering out to the field again. It was quiet there, and knowing Clark had once been right where she stood helped with the loneliness eating away at her.

"You must be Silvia." An unfamiliar voice spoke, startling her into a defensive stance.

The girl standing just a few feet away from the crash site blinked innocently at her. She didn't appear like much of a threat; she had long red hair that was twisted into a high ponytail and skin so pale it could rival the moon.

"Who the hell are you?" She answered with a growl.

"Lana Lang... Clark didn't tell you about me?"

Silvia shook her head, face still stern and teeth still bared.

"Figures. I suppose ex-girlfriends aren't the best topic of discussion with your fiancée." Lana took a step forward, noting the cautious glint in Silvia's eyes. "I'm sure he had more important things to do, saving the world and whatnot."

Silvia immediately tensed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't have to play dumb with me, I know about his secret."

"What secret?" Silvia hissed back. "Clark wasn't the type to hide anything, you should know that."

Lana gave a heavy sigh, shaking her head and glancing down at the newly settled soil. "He also wasn't the type to lie to his partner. You don't have to act so defensive. He told me the truth himself... He showed me."

Silvia's nose scrunched up and she adjusted her position to something less threatening. She believed that Lana was telling the truth, but she wasn't willing to be so careless with Clark's other identity to admit it. Instead she turned and started to leave the field without anything more than a huff in response.

"He said that you were the most stubborn person he's ever met." Lana muttered but she kept walking. "I thought he was exaggerating... but I see what he meant now."

She still didn't stop. Silvia steered one foot in front of the other until she found herself back at the farm, Lana disappearing somewhere in the distance. The blonde growled lowly in frustration before finally opening the front door. Martha, shockingly, was still awake. She was settled on the couch, eyes glued to the television.

At first Silvia was bewildered, Martha had never been very interested in any form of media... Her curiosity was quickly answered though in one small sentence, spoken by the reporter on the screen.

"Superman has returned."


	54. Fifty-Four

**_Chapter Fifty-Four: Reign of the Supermen_**

'Superman has returned', that's what the reporter had said. Silvia scoffed at the thought. She remembered the aching shock that ran through her body. She remembered her own eyes staring at the television screen, not even daring to blink... and then she remembered the man they had shown, if you could even call him that.

He was massive, his sharp jaw only intensified by the cold metal adorning it. Half of his body was missing and replaced with cybernetics, including his face. Martha had fainted at the sight of it, and Silvia almost joined her.

He looked like Clark... but he wasn't. He couldn't be. There had been many threats since Superman's death, and without him there to stop them thousands of people had died. Maybe even millions. There were projects to build a new hero, one that could equal Superman. Surely this was one of those. Either way Silvia knew it wasn't really him. Clark was dead, she was there. She saw him take his last breath.

Since then there had been two more reports on various Supermen claiming to be Clark. Over time it evolved from being shocking to disrespectful then all the way up to disgusting. Martha and Silvia would watch the news trying to decipher which one of them was the real Superman as if they'd forgotten he had died. It enraged them both.

They stayed in the farm, never once making the trip to Metropolis to see the supposed flock of Kryptonians for themselves. None of them visited, and this only solidified their certainty that none of them were really Clark. Still the longer this charade continued unanswered, the more irritated Silvia became. The name of Superman meant something, Clark had spent years building it up, and now a group of misfits thought they had a right to claim it for themselves.

Silvia had tried to distract herself by learning how to take care of the farm. She did everything that Jonathan use to do, though she wasn't exactly good at it. The dairy cows had kicked her at least a dozen times when she first attempted milking them, and the sheep refused to be herded into their places by her. She was, however, quite skilled at carrying large stacks of hay out to the animals.

The days work had just been completed when she walked in to find the television on again. On the screen were the three people claiming to be Superman; the half robot that was now being called 'Cyborg Superman' (which was the most ridiculous name Silvia had ever heard, by the way), another that looked exactly like Superman but wore a big yellow visor over his eyes named the 'Eradicator', and the last one that went by 'Superboy'. He looked no older than nine, but according to Martha, he looked like Clark when he was young.

Silvia pulled the old straw hat from her head and glared at the images. She wanted to prove that none of them were who they say they were, she wanted to stop the ridiculous amount of coverage this story was getting... and more than any of that, she wanted to get through one day without having to hear about these pretenders.

"Looks like you'd better start packing." Martha said from across the room, gaze fixed on Silvia's expression.

The girl furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"You're going back to Metropolis, right?"

Silvia took a deep inhale and shook her head. "No, I'm not. You're one of the only family Clark has left... that I have left... Without Superman around people are dying by the minute. I've got to stay here."

"I can take care of myself." Martha reassured though she didn't quite believe her. "They're impersonating my son. It's insulting to me as much as it is to you. I'll drag you back to the city myself if I have to."

"I might not even be able to do anything about it." Silvia sighed.

"You can. I know you can."

With the sheer amount of confidence that Martha had in her, how could she possibly say no? The elderly woman had helped her pack a few things that night, even storing away a few containers of homemade cookies beneath the few articles of clothing.

She left the very next day, a sorrowful look caught in her expression as the bus pulled away from Smallville. If her life had gone differently, she wouldn't have minded owning a farm of her own...

Silvia had taken a nap on the journey to the city, and when she opened her eyes again she thought that she had caught the wrong bus. Metropolis, Superman's city, had fallen into chaos without him. Shops had their windows boarded up, houses were almost collapsing, and the cemetery was so full now that they were trying to build another. In short, Southside was no longer just a small section of the area... It had now extended its talons to the rest of the city.

Silvia was surprised to see that Clark's apartment was still standing, though now it was plagued by vermin and looked similarly broken down as her old place. Technically, the apartment was still being rented under Clark's name so it wasn't too hard to get it back. She had been paying for it since Clark's death, despite moving away she could never bring herself to let someone else live there.

The wind crept up her shirt and laid goosebumps across her skin. She shivered, it seemed like even the weather had been effected by Superman's death. She rolled her shoulders in a failed attempt to halt the numb feeling seeping through her shoulder blades, but before she could even calculate whether this had helped or not, she felt her jean pocket shift.

Her gaze quickly darted around to see someone beginning to run away, her wallet grasped tightly in their hand. Silvia's reaction was immediate. She dropped her luggage in front of the staircase and bolted in the opposite direction. They didn't have a chance at outrunning her, and soon she had grabbed their arm and yanked them backwards.

The man's red hair shuffled out of his face, and when Silvia twisted his arm in a sickening direction she could see his eyes brim with tears and fear. He yelled out in agony, punching his free hand against the concrete to try and distract himself from the pain. "L-Let me go!" He cried out. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't mean to steal my wallet?" Silvia scoffed, shifting position until she could see his face completely under the flickering lamp light. He had big brown eyes, the kind that feigned innocence, and still carried a little baby weight around his cheeks. "You're... just a kid."

"I-I'm Sixteen..." He gasped through his fear. "I didn't w-want to do it but I had no other choice. My sister, she needs to eat..."

Silvia let go of his arm, grabbing hold of his collar instead. She took her wallet back but didn't once break eye contact with him. "We always have a choice. Next time you think of doing something stupid, be ready to face the consequences for it."

The boy nodded desperately and Silvia, very reluctantly, let him go. She growled to herself as she watched him sprint away. Crime was at an all time high. Without Superman to stop them criminals became bolder than before, and eventually took control of the entire city. The only money to be made now was through illegal actions, not through honest work.

The blonde gave a heavy sigh as she continued back towards her bag. Instantly she felt tense, like someone would walk up behind her and slit her throat or something. This wasn't a new feeling by any means, growing up in Southside made sure of that, but it was something Silvia had hoped to never experience again.

The apartment was exactly how she had left it, which made the whole situation even more unbearable. Clark's clothes were still hanging up and waiting to be worn, his coat was draped over the couch, and his notepad full of quotes for the Daily Planet sat untouched on the table. Silvia threw her luggage onto the floor, trying to avoid looking at any corner of the room for too long.

She found the remote control discarded on the couch cushions and she tried to forget how she'd tossed it over there in frustration during her fight with Clark. Thankfully, she knew she wouldn't be spending much time there... Her underground lair, the one she had still not yet named, would become her more permanent residence.

Silvia had just started unpacking when she spotted the television screen in her line of sight, they were covering a story from downtown Metropolis where a group of people were being held hostage. The girl quickly unbuttoned the top layer of her clothes, revealing her old costume beneath it. She hadn't worn it for a while and she was only now becoming aware of how tight and itchy it was. She grabbed her mask from the bottom of her bag, and without a second of delay, she rushed out of the apartment window.

An office tower in the lower Tomorrow District was the scene of the commotion. Squad cars were piled upon the structure on each side, and police officers flooded the immediate area. Silvia watched from the top of a work crane perched on the construction site across the street. She knew that there weren't many ways inside now that the cops had it under tight wraps... So, the only entrance involved an insane jump. Unfortunately, she didn't have access to a grapple gun or anything, but she did have some degree of durability.

Reaper inhaled sharply, clenched her fists, and shot forward down the arm of the crane like a bullet. She pushed herself harder and harder until the crane ended and the open air greeted her. With an incredible thrust, Silvia propelled herself off of the machine and over the street. Her bound managed to clear the gap, and she barrelled through the glass window with startling force.

She landed with a roll and instantly brought a pistol up. Her eyes and gun swerved around the room to make sure it was clear. It wasn't long before she heard the crackle of a voice several rooms away saying "What the fuck was that? I thought the cops were down to negotiate..."

A tinny voice from a handheld radio answered. "They are. Probably a cape."

"Oh goddammit...of course."

"You're just two floors down from us, don't let them get up here. I'm sending backup."

Silvia slinked up behind the closed door and pressed her ear against it. Steady footsteps drew closer to her room, and when they were directly in front of the wooden door, Silvia reeled back then rammed her shoulder into the door.

She and the door were sent flying into the corridor with a crack, easily toppling the lone soldier. Smiling after seeing the guy unconscious under the solid wood, she bolted for the stairwell before anyone else on this level could even notice what happened. The two floors were nothing for her to ascend in seconds. Not wanting to waste any more time. Silvia brought her two energy pistols up and kicked in the next wooden barrier.

She saw a group of office workers grouped up on the floor, hands behind their heads. Standing amongst them were five armed men, none of which reacting in time. With minimal effort and her guns on low power, Silvia capped each of them with a single shot each. As they fell unconcious, she felt fairly underwhelmed. "Amateurs..."

A hostage trembled to his feet. "T-The leader went to the roof; they took some of us with them!"

"Ah shit. Make sure your buddies don't go anywhere." Silvia ordered, spinning back around and slipping into the stairwell once more. Before too long, she reached the roof and came out with her guns ready to fire.

"Don't fucking move!!" One of the criminals screamed at her, holding a hostage tightly in his grasp with a pistol pressed against her temple. Silvia kept the guy in her sights despite his warning. Behind him was a helicopter, undoubtedly sent by the police as a term of releasing the hostages. The man shouted over the chopper once more. "I'll fucking kill her, lady! I'll do it if you don't back the fuck up!"

"Come on man...just...come on!" Silvia conceded, lowering her guns.

"That's all you have to say?!" He laughed and backed up towards the chopper.He forced the hostage inside, snarling like an animal.

Silvia gritted her teeth. "Fucking asshole..."

She watched the helicopter slowly and surely take into the sky. Just as it was about to spear off into the sky, a heart-stopping impact engulfed the air with a tremendous bang. A red and blue missile slammed into the nose of the craft, crushing it like cardboard.

The pilot, either dead or severely injured, ceased steering and the chopper began to spiral downwards until it was caught...by Superman. Silvia's grimace didn't disappear. He lowered the wreck to the roof, showing no regard for the lives inside as he dropped it like a rock. Not even Wonder Woman showed that level of brutal disregard for life.

This Superman sent his eyes to Silvia, not even checking on the hostage inside.Half of his body was replaced by chrome silver metal, and only one quarter of his face wasn't robotic. Silvia was shocked because he looked just like Clark...his one eye was unmistakable. It was as blue as she remembered it. The shifting of pistons and servos distracted her, but that wasn't the thing that bothered her. It was his blatant carelessness. This wasn't Clark.

Silvia saw the woman crawl free from the crash, fear in her eyes as she glanced at this Cyborg Superman.

"Get back downstairs, alright?" Reaper told her, eyes unmoving from Cyborg Superman. The woman didn't object and vanished like a wisp. No one was ever that afraid of Superman... Just more evidence that this terrifying being wasn't him. "What is it you're saying to people? That you've been rebuilt?"

The Cyborg's eye narrows. His other eye was blood red, glowing brightly. "It's the truth. The White House believes it. So should you." His voice was almost Clark's...but it was strange, slightly digitised.

"Why don't you remember me then?" Silvia pressed, not buying his act for a second.

His fierce stare didn't relent, even for a second. "My memory is...fuzzy."

"Nice try. I don't buy it. Not if you keep endangering lives like that...wearing his symbol...his face. You're spitting on his grave." She growled.

The Cyborg's stare only grew in intensity, like he was ready to pop Silvia like a balloon. He definitely exerted the same level of strength that Superman had. "I am Superman. And I'm more efficient than I ever was before."

Without thinking, Silvia's right hand whipped out with a hook to the Cyborg's jaw. This was the nail in the coffin for Silvia's doubts. Her fist slammed against the man's unmoving chin, causing a clean snap of her wrist.Not reacting from the pain, Silvia simply frowned. "You aren't. Not even close."

Clark would never do that. He always shifted to prevent things like this happening. He'd move with the blow, dodge the attack to ensure the person didn't hurt themselves. This thing didn't even budge at all; it was like punching a solid brick wall.

The Cyborg stared at her, even his single blue eye was empty of emotion. He looked at her, but he didn't see her. He might have claimed to be Superman, but he could never be Clark... and that was enough to confirm that he was a fake.


	55. Fifty-Five

**_Chapter Fifty-Five: Superboy_**

"It's good to have you back." Victor said, securing a bandage around Silvia's damaged wrist. "As much as I hate to admit it."

"Yeah, I missed you too." She replied smugly but the playfulness in her tone didn't uphold for long. "... What's going on around here, Vic? Who are these people claiming to be Superman?"

"I wish I knew. All I can tell you is that the 'Cyborg' one is more advanced than I originally suspected." Buzzing sounds could be heard throughout Titan Tower, not quite loud enough to drown out Victor's voice but enough to be distracting. "I tried tracking whoever rebuilt him, and whatever they did it with, but the technology used on him is too advanced for my scanners. It's actually scarily similar to my own cybernetics."

"But... it's not really him right?" Silvia rested her broken wrist against her lap, it already felt like it was healing; she could even move her fingers without pain.

"It's one thing to rebuild him, it's a completely different job altogether to bring someone back from the dead."

"Thought so..." She replied with a heavy exhale. "I can't believe that the people of Metropolis truly believe that he's Superman."

"People will believe anything when they're scared. They've even started saying that Steel is somehow Superman, despite the fact that he was around before Clark's death."

"Seriously?" Silvia scoffed. Sometimes she wondered why they ever bothered saving these people. They were so quick to discard the memories of those who died fighting for them...

"Speaking of which," Victor started again, shifting over to a nearby laptop and tapping a few keys. "He's actually here today."

Without a second to spare, in walked Steel. He looked exactly the same as last time Silvia had seen him... all but his chest that adorned a metal 'S' symbol. He smiled at Silvia, that expression only falling into further amusement at the bandage wrapped around her wrist.

"You always were a troublesome one." He teased as he crossed his arms. "What did you do this time? Jump off a skyscraper?"

"Punched Cyborg Superman in the face." Silvia smirked triumphantly.

"You only just got here and you're already starting fights with the new arrivals?" Steel laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"

For just a moment the atmosphere in that room lifted. It had an airy laughter lingering through it as if things were back to how they use to be. They weren't though, and soon enough that positive vibe was drowned out. Silvia's eyes lingered back to the symbol on Steel's chest, and this time there was no dodging the subject.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm wearing this." Steel finally spoke in a serious tone. "I wanted to pay my respects to Superman in the best way that I knew how... and this symbol, his symbol, shouldn't just disappear from Metropolis altogether. With Supergirl and Powergirl focusing their attentions elsewhere, it seemed like it might leave this city to ruins if I didn't take it up."

Silvia nodded, slumping back in her chair in utter exhaustion. "You deserve to wear it more than those fucking new guys. As long as you're not claiming to be Superman, then I don't have a problem with it."

"Your confidence means a lot, Silvia. I won't let you down." He said, posture straightening and hands moving to rest on his hips. In some ways, he was more like Clark than any of those pretenders. "Though that new one, 'Superboy', is a bit of a problem. He's the reason I've been so busy of late."

"Is he really that much trouble? He's just a kid..."

"Yeah, just a kid with the powers of a Kryptonian. At least an adult could control themselves." Steel leaned against the door frame, his costume giving a metallic 'tink'. "He's destroyed a large section of Downtown Metropolis, and when I tried to stop him he pushed me through a building... filled with people."

Silvia cocked her head to the side. Now that she hadn't heard of. "So... he's a villain?"

The man shook his head with uncertainty. "I'm not sure... He looked terrified of me, of the people around him, and even of his own abilities. I don't think he even knew what he was doing, or at least not the gravity of it."

She stared at him for a while with a raised eyebrow. He was tense, his back arched and his eyes on the ground as he recalled the memory. Digging her thumb nail into the cheap pine top of Victor's desk, Silvia scoured her mind for an explanation. This boy didn't exactly sound like a cold blooded killer, at least not to her.

"Has anyone seen him since then?" She asked, nail burrowing deeper into the wooden top.

Steel shrugged his large shoulders, now averting his gaze to the window where nothing but the blank emptiness of the sky could be seen.

"He went to the Justice League a few days ago." Victor replied calmly. "He wanted to join but no one knew what he was. It was a risk, one that Bruce wasn't willing to make, so he turned him away."

"Bruce kicked a confused little kid onto the street?" Silvia huffed in frustration. "Of course he fucking did..."

"Can't really blame the man, I mean, without Superman we've been more vulnerable. A boy claiming to be a Kryptonian and damaging half of Metropolis isn't exactly going to warrant trust."

"He should have gone to the Titans. Starfire would have taken him in..."

"Kori's got a good heart but she's naive. The fact that she'd welcome him is reason enough to be suspicious of the kid."

Silvia fidgeted in her seat. She felt extremely uncomfortable knowing that a little boy was out there alone. "Is there any way you can find him for me, Vic?"

"Well, I can't find him... but I can help him find you." Victor swerved to the other side of the room in his rolling chair, pulling out a draw and rummaging through the various items inside. "We can use the signal watch."

"Like the one Jimmy use to wear?"

"Exactly alike. I had it duplicated encase of emergency, and it blocks out any cybernetic interference so Cyborg Superman shouldn't pick up the frequency." At last, Victor pulled out a plain silver watch and rolled back towards Silvia. "If Superboy has any Kryptonian DNA then he should be able to hear this... Unfortunately though, that also means that Eradicator might be able to trace it."

"Unless he's not Kryptonian..." Silvia suggested in a low voice. "That will be all the evidence I need to scratch him off the list of supposed 'Supermen'."

"Then I hope he doesn't show up. It'd be nice to get some answers around here for a change."

Silvia was zapped back to the middle of Metropolis soon after, left in the middle of the crumbling city. With so many people flying around with Superman's powers it was rather sad to see that none of them, even combined, could properly take care of this place.

The night had a cool breeze latching onto whatever solid surface it could find, and as Silvia pressed the button on the watch, she noticed how cold the metal had become. She listened... but heard nothing. She pressed it again and strained her ears even harder. Still nothing.

Apparently it had worked though because it wasn't long before she heard someone dashing in her direction. Silvia turned, only to be met by a young boy with dark hair and eyes bluer than the sky. Both of his hands were covering his ears and his entire face had scrunched up.

"What is th-that sound?" He yelled over a piercing static that she couldn't hear. "M-Make it stop... please!"

Silvia fumbled with the watch, missing the button at least a dozen times before finally hitting it. The young boy's arms instantly fell limp at his sides and his eyes refocused onto her. Silvia's heart broke all over again. He looked so troubled... and yet she could definitely see some aspect of Clark in him.

"Sorry, kid." Silvia said, forcing a smile. "Just needed to get your attention."

The boy instantly jumped into panic mode, his whole body crimping up and his teeth beginning to chatter. "Are you... Are you with the people trying to capture me?"

"What? No..." Silvia leaned down to eye level with him in an attempt to look a little less intimidating. "Why are people after you?"

"I-I don't know..." The boy's breathing became hollow, eyes flicking around the vicinity in fear. He looked so small... so helpless despite knowing the power he wielded.

Silvia couldn't just leave him like that. Not only because he was a kid... but because she also didn't know how the Kryptonian body worked. Who could say that Clark really hadn't been reincarnated? Maybe it was her blinding hope that he'd return, but she was willing to lose herself to that possibility if it meant protecting him.

"Don't worry, just follow me. I'll make sure they can't get you." She said, offering her hand to the boy. He may never remember who she was, and it was definitely better that way, but maybe she could at least have a small role in his new life. If that meant being his protector for a few days then so be it.

Superboy didn't hesitate to take her hand. He looked somewhat relieved that someone finally trusted him enough to help. This peace didn't last though, because at that moment Eradicator slammed against the concrete with a loud 'bang', creating a crater where he stood. Silvia's stomach instantly churned... She was hoping that she could at least bring back evidence that Eradicator wasn't Superman, not more proof that he might be.

"I heard a noise." He said dully, scanning his surroundings before his stare fell to Superboy. "You again... Are you trying to anger me, boy?"

Silvia stepped in front of Superboy with a growl. "Leave him alone. I'm the one that made the stupid sound."

The man analysed her, eyes resembling Clark's hidden beneath a yellow visor. It looked ridiculous, in Silvia's opinion. Maybe because it was so odd seeing someone that looked like Superman take so many liberties with his appearance.

"For what reason, Silvia?" He said in a low hiss.

"None of your busin-..." Her voice trailed off, lips parting to allow a shaky inhale. "Wait, how do you know who I am?"

"I'm Superman, I know everything about you."

Her eyes widened but she quickly forced them to narrow again through her surprise. It couldn't be him... It just couldn't be... "I don't believe you, you would've visited me and your mother if you had any memory of us."

"I may have Superman's memories, but Clark is gone. He didn't come back with me." Eradicator stared her down, arms crossed over the symbol on his chest. "I'm Superman, but I'm not Clark... not anymore."

"Or you never were!" Silvia snapped.

Eradicator's lip curled in irritation and his forehead deepened with wrinkles. "I took you to jail when we first met, you lived in Southside in an apartment with a broken door, you had a brother named Mason, and when I asked you to marry me you ran away. I remember everything, it's clear in my head, but I have no emotional attachment to them. It's as I said, Clark died with Doomsday. I have been reborn, but not as the man you once knew."

His words weighed heavy on Silvia, but she didn't know how to feel- sad, maybe, but that sounded so childish, like something flimsy, something one should be able to cast off with a happy reflection. But it was nothing of the sort. It sat inside her like the germ seed of depression, just waiting for the right conditions to grow, to send out roots to choke the hope out of her heart again. It was a trough in which she struggled to return to the peak, always afraid that this time the rungs would be too slippery, too far apart or simply not there at all.

For a split second she believed that maybe he was telling the truth... but her broken heart couldn't bare it and so she discarded the idea with every ounce of force that she could muster. "You don't have an emotional connection to those memories because they're not yours."

Eradicator's hands formed into fists, knuckles turning white at the tension. Still, he shook his head and averted his gaze elsewhere. "I won't repeat myself, and I don't have time to deal with unstable killers. In that case, it's probably better if you don't believe me."

The ground rumbled beneath them, and without another word Eradicator had taken back to the skies. To Silvia, it felt like the world was playing some elaborate prank as punishment for all her wrongdoings... and it wasn't amusing in the least. The blonde turned back around to Superboy, who was still staring up at the stars. Three Supermen in one place, and none of them with Clark's restraint... this was a disaster waiting to happen.


	56. Fifty-Six

**_Chapter Fifty-Six: Renegade_**

Silvia had taken Superboy back to Victor, who then ran a few simple tests. He was definitely Kryptonian, and not just that, he had Clark's specific DNA. There was something else too, an abnormality that he couldn't quite detect, one surprisingly... human. If nothing else they discovered that he was growing at a rapid rate and within a few weeks he had hit puberty.

Silvia acted as his guardian, and let him live in her underground lair, but she honestly felt bad for the kid. To go from eight years old to fourteen in such a limited time span must have been extremely difficult...

Silvia had convinced a few of the others to accept him as an ally, but Superboy was constantly going against what was expected of him. The rebellious teen faze had set in, and Silvia felt less than equipped to deal with it. It was at this time that she started greatly regretting not sending him back to Smallville. Martha had already raised one incredible person, she would have done a better job then Silvia could.

It was too late though. She would just have to grin and bare it... but whenever she smiled at him Superboy became highly irritated, or when she laughed, or spoke, or sneezed, or did practically anything else. She couldn't even stand near him without the boy marching off to find a spot free of adults.

Things were so easy when he was a kid, but now Silvia felt like she was knee deep in quick sand - she was going to sink no matter which direction she tried to go in. Their lives largely consisted of voids of empty silence, and fighting the occasional villain that would appear. In these instances though, Superboy was unconventionally violent. He didn't kill anyone, but he made them so terrified that they wished that he would.

Whoever was present would stop him and remind the boy that Superman never hurt people, not even the worst scum on the earth, unless he had no other option. This only seemed to make him more irritated.

"Clark knew the difference between right and wrong, kid." Steel spoke up after a particularly intense fight. "He was firm in his beliefs, and he stood against anyone that disagreed. He didn't throw villains weaker than him into street lamps, he gave them a chance. Maybe you should reconsider today's choices."

Superboy snarled at the man angrily, lip twitching upward and eyes fighting the urge to burst into heat rays. "Back off, tin man."

Silvia suppressed the laugh that forced itself through her throat, lips tightening to refuse the sound from being released. She took a deep breath, processing that this was a little more serious than she was treating it to be. "He's only trying to help."

"How?" Superboy spat back. "By doing what the rest of you do? Comparing me to some dead guy?"

Silvia jumped back at the pain his words sent to her chest. Was that what Clark was now? Just some old dead corpse with nothing left to teach... Harsh. Steel flashed Silvia a sympathetic look, obviously aware of her pain despite her unreadable expression.

Superboy didn't bother apologising. He just sauntered away with a clenched jaw and his hands in fists. Steel didn't go after him, and at first, neither did Silvia. She didn't know how to deal with him, and more than that she was growing tired of the boy's resentment for Clark.

"I need to get back to the tower." Steel said with an exasperated sigh. "We should probably just leave the kid alone for a while."

"Yeah... probably." She agreed, but once Steel had left the premises Silvia started walking after Superboy.

Much to Silvia's delight, Superboy hadn't learnt to fly yet so anywhere he could run, so could she. He could, however, leap tall building in a single bound. Thankfully Silvia knew where he had run off to, it would just take her a lot longer to get there.

The outside of the store had a grungy look to it; the paint was peeling off, graffiti littered the stone walls, and the window had been smashed in the middle of a fight months ago. The owners didn't bother replacing it, they said it added to their shops 'aesthetic'.

Mainly, it was the punk crowds and rocker kids that hung out here. If Silvia was a little younger she could almost guarantee that she'd be one of them. It was the kind of atmosphere that didn't suit heroes, and yet Superboy always seemed to go there when he was angry. Maybe it was just another rebellious thing...

The moment Silvia walked through the door she was bombarded with the sound of a heavy guitar solo coming directly from the broken down juke box. In this sea of dark shades, it was easy to spot Superboy sitting in the far corner. He no longer wore the bright costume of his youth, he had swapped it out for simply a shirt with the 's' symbol lined in red on the front. Still, he was the odd one out in such a rough atmosphere.

A few of the customers turned at the sound of the door clicking shut, the men of the group letting out wolf whistles at the sight of the woman. Superboy looked over his shoulder hesitantly, perhaps in false hope that it wasn't Silvia. When he saw the head of long blonde hair and eyes of cold steel he slumped in his seat, turning back around again and crossing his arms.

It was times like these when Superboy regretted his advanced hearing. He could hear Silvia approaching him, and it left no chance that she might not have seen him. When the footsteps stopped right in front of his table, the teenager still refused to meet her gaze.

"Why do they always whistle at you?" The boy hissed sourly. "You're so old it's like flirting with a grandma."

Silvia smirked in amusement. "Hormones, kid. Teenagers would whistle at a guinea pig if it had big enough tits."

Superboy grimaced, then made a face similar to a son finding out that his parents had sex to conceive him. "Gross..."

The woman's expression fell and she slid into the seat opposite of him. "Sorry, I know that I should watch my mouth around you."

"Is that really what you're worried about? You don't think I've heard, or even said, worse than that?"

"It's hard to know... I'm not use to witnessing someone grow so quickly."

Superboy shook his head, it was unclear whether this was in disappointment or frustration though. "Since when do you care what you say around me anyway?"

"I always cared." Silvia sighed. "I'm just not very good at words... especially if they don't include swears."

Superboy huffed in irritation. "Is that the reason you came here? To tell me that a toddler has better speaking capabilities than you?"

Silvia folded her legs beneath the table and tapped her fingernails against the surface. "No, I came to apologise."

Apparently, this took the boy off guard. His mouth opened slightly in surprise and his eyes finally darted up to look at her. He never thought he'd hear that from Silvia... but it had piqued his interest enough for him to press forward. "For what?"

"You're right, you're not Clark." Silvia started. "So it was wrong of us to hold you to such an impossible standard."

Her apology was met with nothing but silence. Superboy was staring at her, completely unsure of what to say or how to react. He was beginning to feel like he should say he was sorry as well for being such a brat, but he was stubborn and had no desire to admit he had done anything wrong. "Took you long enough to figure that out."

Silvia leaned back until she was resting completely against her chair. The world could fall into an apocalypse at that very moment and it still wouldn't have been any harder than taking care of that kid. "Yeah, I was never really cut out for parenting. That's just another reason that we shouldn't be comparing you to Clark. He was raised by amazing people, and you've only had me... It shouldn't come as a surprise that you act more like me than him."

Superboy still suppressed any urge to admit wrongdoing. He listened, shocked at her apology, but unable to find a reply.

"As long as you do what you think is right... then I'm proud of you." Silvia said sincerely, yet still hoped that the boy's version of what was 'right' didn't correlate with her own past morals. "Besides, I wasn't exactly a gem when I was younger either... So that's just another reason why I should have taken you to Smallville when I had the chance. Martha would have raised you a lot better than I ever could."

Superboy's eyes fell, and suddenly he was staring at the table again. He only now noticed that there were engravings in the hard wood, most of which were done by a sharp blade. There were initials such as 'D.W' and 'R.G', but there were also gruesome depictions of skulls on fire and stick figures getting stabbed.

Whilst he distracted himself by pondering why someone would take the time to carve something so useless into a table, the atmosphere seemed to grow heavier. Silvia, obviously assuming that the boy had no wish to speak, began to shuffle out of her chair.

This only heightened the guilt welling in Superboy's stomach, and before she could get to her feet, he managed to find enough courage to talk. "You're not doing such a bad job either..."

Now it was Silvia's turn to be surprised. She managed not to make any audible confirmation that she'd been taken off guard, but that didn't stop her arms from stiffening. "Thanks..." She said, somewhat unsure if the boy was pulling some cruel prank on her. "That means a lot."

Sitting there without anything more to say made them both realize that silence has a sound. It's awkward, consuming, and much louder than any other noise. This was their everyday, but at least now they finally understood each other.

"So..." Silvia said, desperate to break that horrid quietness. "They sell ice cream here, ya know? Do you want some?"

Superboy exhaled heavily. "Of course not, I'm not a child anymore."

Silvia, finally, felt the serious expression edge away from her face. She found herself smiling and shrugging at the boy's response. "Oh really? Not even the new bourbon ice cream? Steel told me that you asked him to get it for you."

The boy's face turned several shades darker and he pouted. "I-I was just curious, that's all... They said I wasn't old enough."

"Well, as long as you have a guardian present I'm sure it'll be fine." Silvia grinned. "And besides, you're Kryptonian. Alcohol has no effect on you unless you drink it by the gallon."

"Does that mean you'll let me try it?" Superboy asked, something in his voice akin to gratitude.

"I'd prefer you to try it with me around instead of by yourself." She was aware that it wasn't the actual alcohol that interested Superboy, it was knowing that he was trusted enough to make his own decisions and experience the world for himself. Silvia knew that 1% alcohol wasn't going to do anything for a human child, let alone a Kryptonian. "So, is ice cream still for kids or did you want to try it?"

It didn't take much convincing for Superboy to agree. He was all too eager about it despite how hard he tried to hide it. When Silvia returned with the two bowls of ice cream he had instantly taken a bite but, alas, he didn't taste anything outside of dairy. Superboy wished that he could be disappointed, but he was happy to have tried it and quenched his curiosity.

Silvia, on the other side of the table, dug into her own serving of mint choc chip. She dug the spoon into the soft structure and brought it to her lips. She could already feel the bitter cold radiating from it.

"I was thinking," She spoke up, catching the boy's attention once more. "Ever since we found you we've called you 'Superboy'. Maybe it's time to give you a proper name."

The black haired boy instantly appeared disheartened, muttering disdainfully "Like 'Clark'?"

Silvia blinked at him in confusion, then fell into a small laugh. "Nah, you don't really look like a Clark to me. I was thinking something more like Conner."

The annoyed expression quickly disappeared from his face, and was replaced with an almost unseeable smile. At last he was being acknowledged as an individual. He had spent so long being told that he was someone else that he had almost given up on ever being able to feel this way. It made him realise that he should have sat down civilly with Silvia instead of acting like some spoiled jerk.

It was dawn by the time they left that place and 'Conner' was determined to never go back again. It had never been his scene, he just went to develop something that made him appear unique. This time of the day was when nothing breathes, everything is transfixed, only the light moves. It made it a fairly calm journey back to Reapers hideout. Once they arrived there though, it was anything but peaceful.

The moment they rounded the corner a large 'boom' shook the earth beneath them. In the distance a building fell in an array of smoke and debris. Soon after, two figures darted through the air. As they came closer their identities were revealed. Cyborg Superman blocked Eradicator's punch, and retaliated with his own. The metal knuckle made contact with his jaw and the man was sent crashing to the ground.

"You are nothing but a pretender." Cyborg Superman's voice erupted through the chilling wind. "I am the only Superman there is."

Eradicator growled and pushed back into the air, grabbing the cybernetic arm and twisting it out of place. "You are a soulless husk, nothing more!" He retorted.

Silvia tugged on Conner's hand, rushing towards the secret tunnel. "We need to get out of here."

The boy grinded to a halt and Silvia could no longer move him. "No... I need to stop them."

"What are you talking about? It's too dangerous!"

"You told me that I should do what I think is right." Conner said, puffing his chest out with determination. "And I can't hide knowing that innocent people might get hurt."

As Silvia looked at the bright eyed boy, her chest swelled with pride. Though she'd never tell him, this was the first time she actually saw Clark in him. It made her believe that maybe she hadn't completely failed in raising him.

"I'll go with you then."

Conner instantly tensed. "No, go inside. You have cameras all over Metropolis, so you're of better use in there."

The woman nodded but with a frown twitching at her lips. "As much as I hate that you chose this exact moment to start being responsible... I've never been prouder."

Conner didn't waver at all when he flew away, sparring Silvia one last smile before heading into the chaos. She couldn't help but think she'd seen this before... and she feared that she might lose another loved one at the end. She cursed him under her breath. Why did both Kryptonians always smile at her in the face of certain doom? As if she was more important than what they were about to face... It was heart wrenching, especially knowing that there was nothing she could do.


	57. Fifty-Seven

**_Chapter Fifty-Seven: Second Coming_**

From the screens in her hideout, Silvia could see the entire fight. Eradicator was hitting Cyborg Superman on the side of his head without cybernetic plating with great, walloping, pile-driver blows. The two of them staggered together, like partners in a crazy dance. Structures collapsing all around them. Gray smoke from the fires lit in the background, and dust from the chipped brick-and-plaster walls that they tore down, swirled around them in a rainbow haze.

No one fights dirtier or more brutally than blood; only family knows it's own weaknesses, and they were closer than family... they were, apparently, the same person. That was actually what this whole fight was about. From what Silvia could gather, they were trying to prove which of them was truly Superman. By doing so they had destroyed a large portion of Metropolis... but thankfully Superboy had managed to prevent any deaths so far.

Eradicator's eyes started glowing bright red and he zapped heat in Cyborg Superman's direction. The 'laser' smoked against the other man's metal chest, melting a hole into it. He growled in response, and with one swoop, he hit Eradicator through a set of apartments.

Screams suddenly pierced Silvia's ears, and as soon as the two super humans had flown away from the site of destruction, she spotted Superboy dashing over to the building and holding it up for the families to escape.

After setting down the falling apartments, Conner raced towards the two fighting men. "Stop it! Both of you!" He yelled in fury.

"Don't get involved, Kid." Eradicator hissed. "This has nothing to do with you."

Cyborg Superman turned his head to Conner, one red eye glowing through the ash. "If he claims to be Superman as well, I will crush him just the same as you."

"I claim to be no one but myself!" Superboy growled through clenched teeth. "But if you continue endangering the people of Metropolis I will have no choice but to stop you... permanently."

"You will try." The Cyborg's voice buzzed through his torn chest. "And you will fail."

In less than a second Cyborg Superman's hand rolled into a fist, and slammed directly into Superboy's cheekbone. There was a crack, and he was sent whirling in the opposite direction. Conner's shows had barely scraped the concrete before he leapt up again, speeding back towards his attacker with a scream of pure anger.

Eradicator mimicked his actions, and as they both sped towards Cyborg Superman, he prepared for impact. He had it all planned out in his head. He would toss Eradicator so far into the ground that he would burrow his own grave, and Superboy would be tossed into orbit.

The idea pleased the robot, and as the two others sped towards him, he felt that satisfaction multiply. They never made it to him though... someone had blocked his view and stopped both fists with his own hands.

"You have destroyed my city, and yet you wear my symbol." A deep, enraged voice roared over the chaos. "Explain yourselves... now."

Back in the hideout Silvia felt her blood boil. The fourth man on her screen displayed the 's' symbol on his chest as well, but his costume was colourless. It was completely black and shrouded in shadows. He looked exactly like Clark, just like the other three, but his hair was so long that it reached passed his shoulders and his facial hair was unruly. Not another one...

She was already struggling with the other two claiming to be Superman, but now that there was a new addition to this madness any self-restraint she had completely shuddered.

Eradicator and Cyborg Superman looked ready to fight the person that had interrupted them, but somehow he had managed to convince them to talk it out somewhere more private. As the three disappeared from all her camera points, Superboy turned and flew straight back to Silvia. Once he entered the hideout he saw a woman full of uncontrollable wrath, and though she tried to conceal it from him, Conner could tell that she was just inches away from shooting someone.

He informed her that they were all heading towards the Hall of Justice, and Silvia had instantly grabbed her motorcycle. She told Conner to get on the back, and he complied but not without expressing his concern for her. Silvia had brushed off his worry just like he had done to her, and now he knew just how terrible it felt.

The Hall of Justice looked exactly like Silvia remembered it, but today it looked mostly empty. Silvia marched in, skin blotching red as the anger overheated her. Conner was following close behind but she could barely sense anything beyond her need to find the three imposters.

"You're all delusional." The familiar voice of Barry Allen echoed through the facility. "Superman's dead, and frankly I'm getting sick of you guys spitting on his name."

"And I'm growing tired of you're assumptions." Eradicator quickly followed. "I'm Superman, whether you believe it or not."

"There can be only one Superman." Cyborg Superman's tinny voice stabbed. "And I will rise victorious."

Just as Silvia finally reached the room the conversation seemed to be coming from, the new and clearer voice spoke up. "Superman is an idea... a symbol. Anyone can do the right thing, that's the entire point, but neither of you have done that name justice."

This only fed Silvia's outrage. Some stranger thought he had the right to talk about Superman?... The thought made her clench her knuckles so tightly that her nails pierced the skin of her palms. With one of these tensed hands, she aggressively pushed the door open. It bounced off the wall with its handle and immediately grabbed everyone's attention.

Seeing all three Clark look-a-likes in one place was almost too overwhelming for her, but she managed to keep her eyes sharp and expression full of hatred. They all had different reactions to seeing her there; Cyborg Superman looked mildly annoyed, Eradicator seemed completely indifferent, and Barry appeared almost saddened that she had to witness this.

The new guy, however, stared at her as if he was seeing a ghost. He fell silent, for several minutes they all did, and the quiet had an aura of pureness to it. His heart lifted and the dark look on his face instantly vanished. His blue eyes held adoration for her, memorising her every feature as if he was only now seeing her for the first time. She was still so beautiful...

"Sil..." His voice broke into a million pieces until it was nothing but a raspy, inaudible sound.

The man took one slow step forward, then all at once he hurried to her side. His arms wrapped around her and held so tightly that it was like he was afraid that she would fade away if he let go. He closed his eyes, thinking that there was nothing better than an embrace after an absence, nothing better than fitting his face into the curve of her neck and filling his lungs with her scent.

He was lost in the feeling of her for a while, and it took a little too long for him to notice that she was banging against his chest. When he untangled his arms from around her he was not greeted with the loving eyes he had expected, but with a glare so cold that it threatened to freeze him solid.

"Never touch me again." She said in a tone laced with poison. "I'll fucking kill you if you ever try it again, you piece of shit."

To say that the man was surprised would be an understatement. His brow furrowed and he staggered back slightly, unable to look away from the loathing covering her face.

Silvia stomped passed him until she was in the middle of the room. She looked from the new guy to the old ones with disdain. "Leave Metropolis right now."

Cyborg Superman growled back with equal hatred "You dare order me? I don't listen to weaklings."

"Metropolis is my city." Eradicator added with a hiss. "If you don't like my presence here then maybe you should be the one leaving."

"Maybe you misunderstood me." The woman's tone lowered even further. "That wasn't a request. It was an order. None of you are Superman and I won't be dealing with your fucking bullshit any longer!"

"It's not bullshit." Eradicator retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh really?" Silvia scoffed. "You say that you're not 'Clark' anymore but you're still Superman, but that only confirms that you were never him. Without his personality you have no reason to want to save the people of Metropolis, and ontop of that, Clark was what made Superman. You can't be one without the other. You're a fucking fake, and the worst part is that I don't think you even realise it."

Eradicator bore his teeth at the woman before turned her attention to Cyborg Superman. "And you claim to have been rebuilt but have no memory of your life as Clark. I saw his body. He died in my arms. It took two weeks for his body to grow cold and I visited the morgue everyday begging for him to come back. I saw his body again before he was buried... and he looked completely fine. That was the worst part about it. He didn't need to be rebuilt, he was completely intact. You're a fucking liar."

"And you." Silvia turned to the new one now, tears glistening in her eyes and jaw clenched tight. "I don't know you but I'm sure that you fucking suck."

The man looked from one person to the other, finally starting to piece everything together when his gaze fell on Silvia again. Her pain wretched in his chest and it took every ounce of strength that he had to not hug her again.

"I won't sit back and watch you destroy everything Clark worked so hard to build." Silvia's hand twitched near the gun at her side despite knowing that it would have no effect on any of them. "He may be gone but you cannot claim his title and wear his face and expect the world to accept it."

"You're the only one that isn't accepting it, the world seems overjoyed." Eradicator said rather smugly.

Now it felt like Silvia's blood was on fire, burning through appendages and creating hot lava in her gut. "And as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one that matters. Everyone leave, right now, or I know where a large stash of Kryptonite is and I'd just love to shove it down your throats. Then we'll see who the real Superman is."

Cyborg Superman clunked forward, skull-like cybernetic face blank of any expression. "Or what if I kill you before you can find it?"

"Go ahead, prove me right." Silvia spat. She stepped closer to him as well, no sign of fear anywhere.

Before the monstrous husk could even consider his next actions, the new guy had appeared between them. He was facing the robot, jaw sharpening and eyes glaring at him. "You will not hurt her."

Something threatening flashed on his face, and for a moment it looked like the two of them were about to fight. Luckily, they were interrupted an earthquake. It rumbled through the ground, and though none of the supermen were effected by it, they could feel that it was intense. Silvia was knocked off her feet by the intensity. The new guy was just about to assist her but Conner got there before him.

"Are you alright?" Superboy asked in concern, forcing her arm around his shoulders.

"Don't worry about me, kid." Silvia reassured in a shaky voice. "I'm fine... Sorry you had to see that."

Just as the earth's shivering died down, Superboy replied lowly. "No, you were right. I know it might seem like I'm a little hostile towards this Clark guy, but I respect what you've told me about him. These guys are disgusting for claiming to be someone like him."

"Is everyone done showing off now?" Barry finally spoke for the first time in a while. "Because we've got trouble in different sections of the world, we could use your help."

Everyone's collective silence was taken as agreement, and Barry continued. "I need to go meet Hawkman, Silvia assign them to the trouble areas."

He pointed to a massive screen lined up behind him with blinking red lights on specific countries. Less than a second later Flash was gone, and Silvia was left with three people she wanted to kill in cold blood. Still, she managed to compose herself. This was a serious matter, and work always had to be seperate from personal vendettas.

The first thing she did was look for the smallest threat, which happened to be radiating from nearby.

"Conner, go check that out." She said and the boy nodded. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice that she had purposefully given him the easiest job.

She then looked for places with other heroes nearby. Hopefully if she sent the most violent one there, he could be stopped if he went too far. "Terminator, go to the danger area in Finland."

Cyborg Superman didn't seem to understand that she was talking to him until she gave him a stern look. He growled. "I do not take orders from you."

"Okay, just let the people die then. There's no shame in admitting that you're not Superman."

The robot gave a stubborn grumble, and with an air of reluctance, he shot out of the building. Once he was gone half of the tension had disappeared from Silvia's shoulders.

She looked back at the screen. There were two more sectors in need of assistance. Silvia stared at both for a second, pondering who to send. She didn't know the new guy, but Eradicator wasn't as violent as Cyborg Superman. He was, however, an asshole.

She concluded that he was the least scary looking of the lot, and decided to send him to a place that was not use to supervillain threats. "I'm assigning you to Zimbabwe, Goggles."

Eradicator turned his nose up at the nickname, but he didn't protest at all to helping. He left willingly, dashing directly towards his set country and arriving there within no time at all.

When she turned back around she saw the last man standing there with a slight smile edging onto his lips. Her eyebrows knotted together at the sight. "That leaves you with Australia, Macgyver."

"Macgyver?" The man said in amusement.

"Yeah, you have a mullet." Silvia shrugged.

"You really haven't changed at all, have you?" The man grabbed a strand of his long hair between his thumb and index finger, looking at it and chuckling. "It's not a mullet, it's just long."

"If you tuck it behind your ears it's a mullet." Silvia huffed, crossing her arms and beginning to tap her foot against the floor. "Would you prefer to be called something else? Like Jesus or hobo?"

"On second thought, Macgyver isn't so bad." The man's laugh continued as he started walking towards the exit. "Definitely better than 'Dorothy' anyway."

Silvia's head snapped in his direction but he was already gone, eliminating the possibility of her yelling at him. Great, another one with Clark's memory... She thought to herself bitterly. It was at this time that she found herself hoping that these attacks were big enough kill some of those pretenders, then she wouldn't have to deal with this anymore.


	58. Fifty-Eight

**_Chapter Fifty-Eight: A World Without Hope_**

The series of earthquakes was the result of Atlantean weapons fire under sea level; like someone tried to collapse the continents of the world into the ocean. After having a chat with Cyborg, Silvia found out that the culprit was Aquaman's brother, the Ocean Master. A guy who doesn't like the surface world that much, and wants the throne of Atlantis even more. Worst of all, he has a giant army hellbent on killing everyone on land...

After scrambling the mess that was the sudden overcrowding of Supermen in Metropolis, Silvia stayed at the Hall of Justice to keep tabs on the situation. Justice League America was sent down to Atlantis to deal with Ocean Master, and Silvia decided not to say anything to them about the new Superman. They needed to focus on the job at hand, not another fake.

Also, she wasn't just going to let those pretenders loose either, she made sure to get some eyes on them to make sure they weren't killing people or anything. Especially the new guy. The main action was over, so it was mainly just cleanup to be done.

Silvia didn't look away from her screen. She noticed that the new guy stuck around for cleanup for the longest. Cyborg Superman left first, obviously, then Eradicator. The Titans were kind enough to let Conner in and show him the ropes.As soon as the new Superman disappeared from his disaster zone, Silvia pushed to her feet with a sigh. She was paranoid. She didn't want any of these losers to tarnish Clark's memory...she hated the thought of that happening.

"Excuse me." Clark's voice called from behind her.

With a huff, Silvia responded before she turned around. "Get out of here, you're not a Leaguer."

"I just...wanted to ask you something." The new guy said, extremely politely. He flashed a charming smile, and his tone was almost childlike. "I'll leave as soon as you give me an answer."

Silvia gritted her teeth. "Ask someone else."

"I don't want to ask anyone else." was his quick reply. "I want to ask you."

"I couldn't care less what you want." Silvia hissed, leaping up from her seat and beginning to walk away as if completely dismissing him.

The man quickly followed, seemingly unfazed by her attitude. "If I'm going to help clean up Metropolis then I need to know the full story."

"No one asked for your help." Silvia retorted stubbornly.

"No, but they need it." The new guy grimaced. "If your insistent on avoiding me though, I guess I'll just have to keep bugging you until you answer my questions."

"Good luck with that." Silvia grumbled, but the idea made her inwardly scream.

"I won't need luck, you should know by now that I'm persistent. The last time I persevered with this I got a few interviews and a date out of it."

Silvia audibly growled and her legs automatically grinded to a halt. "Clark got a date. You didn't get anything, and you never will."

The man exhaled heavily but didn't make any effort to argue with her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you... but I still need to know what happened. Think of it as one colleague asking another, it doesn't have to be personal."

When the man spoke Silvia just stared at him as if he were a radio and not a person who was there to be interacted with. It was if the words were still circulating her mind and not yet allowed to flow outward into the world. It was apparent that he wasn't going to leave her alone until she helped him out, and she had very little desire to be stuck with him all day.

"Fine... just make it quick." She finally agreed, but with extreme hesitance.

"What happened after I-" He stopped himself, rewording the question in his head before trying again. "What happened after Superman died?"

"What do you think happened?" Silvia seethed. This was not what she was expecting to be asked, and it wasn't something she wished to discuss. "The world went to shit. You can just look all of this up if your curious."

"You were there first hand... I want to hear it from your point of view." The man sighed. "And we both know that the media tends to leave things out."

Usually Silvia would just swear at him and walk out, but she had a feeling that this man wasn't one to give up easily. "He died, they buried him. End of story."

"Where did they bury him?"

Silvia scoffed. "Shouldn't you know this if you're claiming to be 'Superman'?"

"It gets a little blurry after I died." He joked light-heartedly.

"What? No white light or Kryptonian heaven?" She replied sarcastically, but with significantly less amusement in her tone.

"Not that I can remember. Maybe they wipe your memory after you leave." He was obviously trying to make things a little less tense between the two of them. This use to work... but now it only appeared to annoy her even more. "So... do you know where they took his body?"

"They buried him in Metropolis, under a horrendous Superman statue." Silvia surprisingly answered. "It was honestly the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

The man looked slightly saddened by the news. "Oh... I thought he'd be taken to Smallville."

"He should've been." This time when she spoke it was more forceful and he could hear her voice waver. "Metropolis may have been his city, but Smallville was his home. I tried to protest against it but everyone I spoke to turned me away. Lex insisted on burying him here, and since he's one of the most powerful men in the area, my word seemed to mean absolutely nothing. He even had the nerve to show up at the funeral... but at least I got to punch that smug asshole right in his stupid face."

The new guy blinked at her in slight bewilderment. "You started a fight at his funeral?"

"It wasn't his funeral, not really. They were burying a symbol without ever considering that there was a man behind it, one with a family and a life outside of that costume. They mourned their own selfish desires to stay safe... not him. The people got to grieve for a hero that they never fully appreciated whilst Martha had to bury an empty casket. The whole ceremony was an insult."

Not for the first time, the man found himself staring at Silvia in surprise. She had never been reliant on formalities or wording, and though she had street smarts on her side, she wasn't the most intelligent creature either. There were times though, however rare, that she would say something that made complete sense. It made her seem almost wise in her own cynical nature. It was what initially piqued his interest about her, like finding a diamond beneath a hundred layers of thick tar - like, really thick tar. Almost unmovable and transitioning from liquid into a solid object. Of course, this wasn't exactly the nicest way to put it so he never actually voiced it to her.

"What did you do afterwards?" He finally found himself asking. "Did you stay in the city?"

"No, I stayed in Smallville for a while. You know, doing farm things like milking cows and shit."

"Milking cows?" The man said in tone seeping with the urge to burst into laughter. "You milked a cow?"

"Didn't say I was good at it..."

If there was one thing in this life that he regretted, it was not being there to witness her trying to live on a farm. Not only would it have been endlessly amusing, but the idea was somewhat cute to him. He'd always thought she'd look nice in a sundress with a cowgirl hat and wide open plains behind her.

"I'm sorry, I'll drop the subject... for now." He chuckled, brushing a few loose strands of black hair out of his eyes. "So, what about the other three? Who are they?"

"They're like you, trying desperately to convince people that their Superman. I'm sure you've seen it on the news."

"I've been... away... for a while." He answered vaguely and Silvia sighed.

"Fine. Cyborg Superman claims that Clark's corpse was recovered and rebuilt, and he was the result of that. He conveniently doesn't remember anything about his life before his supposed death, but one thing's for sure, he's no hero. He tries to be but he's violent and impatient. He'd sooner throw you into space than let you talk back to him."

"Sounds like you." The man quipped with a smirk.

"Yeah... me with Kryptonian level powers. There's a big difference." The woman huffed in annoyance. "The other one, Eradicator, claims that he was never really dead or at the very least that he came back. Kinda like the whole Jesus story, ya know? Rose from the grave and all that."

"You mean 'The bible'?"

"Yeah, that, whatever..." The girl said with a flush of embarrassment. "Either way, he seems to have all of Clark's memories but says that he's 'no longer Clark'. Like Superman came back but the other side didn't. It's all bullshit, but a ton of people apparently believe him. I guess it's because he's less threatening than the Terminator. I mean, he's a jerk with a bland personality but he doesn't go around threatening people."

"And the kid?"

"Conner... He's different." Silvia muttered. "Special."

"How so?"

"He never pretended to be anyone but himself, it was the media that assumed he was another 'Superman'. They saw that he was wearing the symbol and called him Superboy. This was the only identity he had ever known. They said that he was the reincarnation of Superman, and because we're not sure how Kryptonian bodies work, no one could argue with them."

"I can assure you that's not how Kryptonian bodies work." The man said with a smile that visibly displayed how entertaining that speculation was to him.

"Either way, he doesn't want to be Clark. He's actually made a large effort to avoid being compared to him. He just wants to help, and I think in the back of his mind, he wants to know where he came from too. He'd never admit that though... I think I raised him to be a little too much like myself."

The man froze for a moment. "Raised?"

"Yeah, he was about six when I found him but he aged at a rapid pace. Within only a month his body and mind have made it to fourteen. I took him under my wing and for me it wasn't a lot of time, but for him it was most of his life." Silvia folded her and over her chest and stopped as well. "He's a good kid, a little misunderstood, but still good. Probably better if it was someone else that raised him."

"Don't sell yourself short, you've done a great job with him." He said in a tone that sounded almost proud. "Thank you for everything that you've done... I know it mustn't have been easy."

Silvia raised a fair eyebrow at the man, suddenly realising that she had spoken to him for a lot longer than initially planned. It was as easy as talking to the real Clark... She averted her gaze, and prepared to build up her walls once more. "Your gratitude means nothing to me. I didn't do it for you, I did it for him."

The mans smile stayed on his face all the same, and the admiration in his eyes didn't diminish. "Of course, I'm sure he'd be grateful too."

"If he were alive, maybe, but he's not." Silvia spat out in irritation. "So stop talking about him, and stop acting like you know what he'd feel."

The girl turned to walk out again but he didn't follow this time. He couldn't imagine what she'd been through, and he didn't want to add to that pain by lingering. Instead, he watched her leave, regretting every minute that he hadn't been around.


	59. Fifty-Nine

**_Chapter Fifty-Nine: Foresaken Casket_**

Silvia had learnt a great many things after she met Clark. One of them was how to hack military-grade security, since jumping in guns blazing wasn't exactly something she could do at that point. She was putting this skill to work on a LexCorp bulkhead, deep inside the Superman memorial that baldy had built after Clark's death.

She was frustrated that she was even doing this...but she couldn't shake the desire after what Martha told her. The old woman called her shortly after the fourth Superman wannabe arrived, bawling and distraught. She said she didn't know what was going on, that the black suited Superman visited her...wanted to know if she was okay. He also asked about Silvia. Martha barely said a word to the man, she was meant to be done with her grief. He wasn't compelled to try to convince her that he was Superman, he just wanted to know if she was safe. That was what Silvia couldn't forget.

"Fuck." Silvia hissed, on her fifth attempt to bypass the firewall. LexCorp tech was a lot more robust than the systems she was used to breaking through. If she screwed up this time, the dark chamber would be flooded with a type of knock-out gas that even she wasn't immune to.

After another twenty minutes of meticulous care taken, the massive promethium doors finally shifted, pulling themselves away from the centre seam.

"Oh thank god." Silvia sighed.

She snatched up her flashlight and pointed it at the tomb. Inside was a jet black coffin, adorned with a chrome silver 'S'. Her insides froze as she raised a hand onto its surface. Silvia shivered, then pushed on the lid with both hands.

The room was filled with cacophony, until the lid fell onto the ground with a tremendous bang. Silvia swallowed...she wasn't sure what to do now. For the first time in a long time, she didn't have a clue what to do.

"...I was planning on telling you first." A deep, serious mutter came from behind her.

Silvia slowly peered over her shoulder and spied the familiar yet annoying presence of Lex Luthor.

"Telling me what...?" She growled, urging the man to choose his next words very carefully.

"Before you get excited and attack me...again...I knew you were here as soon as you entered. I could've called the police, but I didn't."

Silvia wasn't in the mood for his shit, so she lunged forward and snatched the collar of his suit. "Telling me what?!" She roared.

Luthor for once wasn't wearing an irritating smirk... "Doesn't the coffin tell you enough?"

"No, it doesn't."

Luthor slowly reached up to his throat as he explained "My vendetta against him blinded me. I didn't realise how much the world needed him...until he was gone."

"Don't give me that bullshit."

"He gave me the assurance that I would be able to wake up every morning. And when he did die the entire planet lost that hope. I know you will never believe me, and I wouldn't either to be honest. But don't just take my word for it. I have a lab...records...proof."

Silvia's lip quivered. That hope...she gave up on it as soon as she saw the man she loved give his life to save everyone but Lex Luthor, of all people, was offering it back to her.

\--

Silvia was blown away by the top secret lab miles underneath Metropolis. She'd seen Bruce Wayne's most advanced resources before, and all of that looked like a high school science class compared to LexCorp.

She stood behind Luthor as he tapped away on a holographic screen, procuring research data of some sort. The facility was completely empty save for her and Luthor, so it was eerily silent.

"I was desperate...and seeing as I owned the tomb structure, securing Superman's body for study was easy."

Images of Clark's body, his real body, popped up. Silvia remembered every cut, every tear in his costume...she knew it was real.

"I discovered that his body was in some kind of hibernative state. His hair kept growing, his skin didn't decompose. I didn't know how long it would last... I tried everything. I engineered a suit that would help his cells absorb solar radiation, but four months passed with no changes. So it was back to the drawing board."

Silvia saw Clark wearing that black suit with silver emblem in the research photos. He was lying on a bed, with numerous instruments beside it monitoring his vitals. His face was clean shaven still... so was the new guy a fake?

"As you know, I've attempted to replicate Superman's abilities in the past."

"Yeah, you missed a few chromosomes." Silvia snapped, nodding towards a folder on the server named 'B-Zero'. "Bizarro?"

Very obviously disdaining the poor taste of that last comment, Luthor deflected "Yes... The mistake I made with that creature was that pure kryptonian DNA is susceptible to cellular degradation in Earth's environment. In order to rectify this problem, and after no progress on resuscitating Superman, project Kr was initiated."

Luthor opened a folder titled 'Kr', and a multitude of photos and folders popped up on the holographic display. Silvia instantly recognised a familiar form. In one of the pictures was a young boy sealed inside some kind of containment cell. A young boy who was the splitting image of young Clark...or Conner.

"We utilised a balance of kryptonian and human cells to create a hybrid. If I couldn't wholly recreate Superman, this was the closest alternative."

"Superboy..." Silvia muttered "He's a clone..."

"No, he'll never be as strong as the original. His human DNA, extracted from myself, ensures that. And the thing escaped before moral conditioning could be applied. He's a failure. Nothing but a rebellious child."

Pictures of injured scientists and staff members flashed up, next to images of the shattered containment cell. Silvia was tempted to smash Lex's face for talking about Conner like that...but she forced herself to be civil.

Luthor crossed his arms as the final image came onto the display. "One day ago, I arrived to this."

The table that Clark's body was on, was empty and a gigantic hole was punched in the adjacent wall.

"You said his hair grew." Silvia muttered.

Luthor glanced back down at the keyboard, slapped a few keys, and brought a newer image up. Clark's face was covered in stubble, and his hair was long...much like the new guy's.

"I've heard of sightings around the world of a black-suited Superman. You've met him, haven't you?" Lex asked.

"Y-Yes..."

"It's him. You have my word."

"Your word isn't worth much to me...even with all the stuff you tried to do here." Silvia retorted.

Luthor frowned. "Something tells me that you don't want your mind changed. You've done your mourning...you've moved on, yes. But accept the truth. Superman has returned."

"Superman's dead, that's the truth, because of fuckheads like you!" Silvia hissed in fury.

"I've made mistakes, I'm willing to admit that, but I'm trying to make up for them."Lex sighed in defeat, pushing himself away from the monitor. "I think that deep down you know that it's him."

Lex left without even waiting for a reply. He didn't ask her to leave, but he didn't stay either. Silvia assumed that he was allowing her to search through the folders for herself. Though the denial she had built up begged her to exit that building and ignore the entire encounter, her curiosity ultimately won her over.

The data base was brimming with videos of both projects; one to make Superman's black suit and the other to create a clone. She stood there and watched them for hours. She saw them weave the fabric for the suit, saw them extract DNA from Clark and Lex's blood... and grow Superboy in containment until he gained consciousness.

She didn't want to believe it, she couldn't. She'd grieved for so long that the possibility of him being alive was terrifying. It meant that she could lose him again, and Silvia wasn't willing to go through that.

Silvia shut the computer down... she couldn't see anymore. Without even looking back she rushed out the door, somehow finding her way out of the labyrinth of Lexcorp tunnels and back onto the streets of Metropolis.

In her mind, she knew it was probably best to return to her hideout, but Silvia found herself wandering to Clark's old apartment instead. She was so conflicted that she needed to be surrounded by something familiar, and to convince herself that the man she loved really hadn't come back from the grave.

The road to that building complex was a blur in her mind. By the time she had finally registered where she was, Silvia was already walking through the front door and collapsing into the couch. She was a genius of sadness by this stage, immersing herself in it, separating its numerous strands, appreciating its subtle nuances. She was a prism through which sadness could be divided into its infinite spectrum. She had dealt with it for so long that it came easily to her.

She wasn't sure what to believe anymore, though her heart couldn't take the idea of mourning for him again. This is why when a distraction from her morbid thoughts was presented, she grabbed it with both hands.

Someone had entered the apartment, and she instantly stood up, ready for a fight... that is until Conner came into view.

"Hey... what are you doing here?" Silvia asked in slight surprise, slumping back down into the cushions.

"Just thought you'd want to know that Cyborg Superman's gone insane." Conner replied with a sigh, shuffling forwards and sitting beside her. "Not that he wasn't always insane."

"Great..." The woman huffed in response. "What has he done this time?"

"Almost killed a whole bunch of people, that new guy stopped him though." Conner sounded like he almost admired the long-haired 'imposter'... if he could even be called that anymore. "They've taken him to jail. Eradicator helped but after the fight he ended up flying away for some reason, he looked pretty troubled."

"And let me guess... the new guy went after him?" She said lowly, as if she already knew the answer.

"After the robot was dealt with, yeah."

"Oh..." She sighed in response. He really did act exactly like Clark... Silvia shook her head. No, she wasn't going to accept it.

"Where were you anyway?"

"Lexcorp." The word blurted out in her exhaustion before she could even consider lying.

Conner's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What were you doing there?"

"Lex... wanted to show me a few things. Projects, actually." Silvia bit her lip for a moment, unsure if she wanted to continue this conversation... but he deserved to know the truth. "For recreating Superman."

"Like a clone?" Conner asked, intrigue sparking in his eyes. "So the new guy is just a copy of the real Superman?"

"Not exactly..."

"Then what is it?" Conner sounded desperate now, his curiosity bubbling to the surface and overflowing. "What happened to the project?"

"They made a kid, one with Kryptonian and human DNA." Silvia muttered, offering him a sympathetic look before continuing. "You, Conner."

The boy's face instantly dropped. "N-No..." he mumbled in disbelief, eyes wide and glossing over with a thin sheen of tears.

"I'm so sorry." Silvia's voice trembled. She could see Conner's whole world crashing down around him. His shoulders shivered in both fear and sorrow, and every time he tried to speak his lip quivered.

"I... I spent so long convincing myself that I had no relation to Clark." Conner sniffled. "Turns out i'm a cheap copy..."

"You were grown using both Clark and Lex's DNA." Silvia shuffled towards him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder comfortingly. "A child is not a copy of their parents, you're not Clark or Lex. You're just Conner."

His eyes were focused on one spot of the carpet, and though he looked as if he was going to cry, he nodded. "Thanks... I don't think I mind the Superman part anymore, it's just Lex that bothers me."

"Don't worry about that, Lex may be an ass but he's an intelligent ass." Silvia tried to joke but it didn't seem to lighten the mood.

"I just wish it was someone else... like you."

Silvia's eyes widened. Who would ever want to be related to someone like her? Still, the thought was enough to quickly turn her surprise into a genuine smile. "Me? You act enough like me as it is, but that's just proof that you don't need my genes to inherit my traits... or for me to consider you as family."

The boy lunged into a hug, hands clasping onto Silvia's shirt and tears threatening to finally spill forward. Though he knew it was a difficult situation for Silvia, if he were ever to have a mother he would want her to be exactly like Silvia.

"Thank you... for everything." He said with sincerity, leaning back and pushing off the couch. "I think I just need time to sort this out in my head."

"Take as long as you need."

The boy smiled, it was small and not entirely truthful, but it reassured Silvia that he'd be alright. He exited the apartment with slumped shoulders, but finally knowing where he came from gave him a modicum of peace.

"You did well with him." A deep voice suddenly spoke from behind her. "You make a good parent."

Silvia didn't even bother turning around, she'd recognise that voice anywhere. It instantly tugged at her heart strings and reminded her of the evidence provided at Lexcorp. "What are you doing here, MacGyver?"

"Thought you'd want to know that Eradicator has extracted his claim of being Superman."

"And why is that exactly?" Silvia asked, attempting to keep her voice as steady as possible.

"Apparently his memory returned. He uploaded my brain activity into a new body, grown from my skin tissue, and it erased all remembrance of his past life." The man stepped a little closer and Silvia's jaw clenched. "He's not a bad guy, he even told me to apologise to you... in less decent words."

"And Terminator?" Silvia asked, completely ignoring the apology.

"Cyborg Superman was always aware that he wasn't the real deal. He assumed by taking my form he'd get away with criminal offences, and people would be less suspicious of him if an accident occurred."

"So, you're the only one that's left? How convenient for you." Silvia hissed in frustration.

The man hesitated at her tone, then sighed. "It was never a competition, Sil. As long as people accept my help, then I don't care what name they give me."

Silvia's lip twitched upward into a growl. Her mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour, as was her heart. She felt overwhelmed by the emotions she had been flooded with. She blinked away the tears that arose, gulping down a sob. "Stop acting like him... you're not him."

Hearing the absolute agony in her voice tore through the man's chest like a shard of kryptonite, broken off into pieces and weakening his body enough to rip him apart.

"Sil..." he managed to whisper painfully but she shook her head at him, still refusing to look back.

"Stop calling me that!" The images and videos flicked through her head at a disorienting speed. Her whole body reacted by making a choking sound, one that had replaced the cry she forced down. "You're not him... you can't be him..."

"Where did this come from?" The man said in concern, rushing to her side and kneeling there. "I never said that I was."

"Sh-Shut up!" She yelled through gritted teeth. He tried to touch her hand with his but she smacked it away, or at least tried to. He got the message and put his hand back down but still stared up at her in concern. She inhaled sharply. "They said that you were just in a hibernative state, that you were never really dead... but that's not true! I saw you... h-him... He was dead!"

Suddenly it all made sense, the man gave a heavy exhale and averted his blue eyes. He didn't want to put anymore stress on her, and he certainly didn't want her to find this out before she was ready to hear it. It seemed like even now it was impossible to control Lex Luthor.

"I almost was." He answered lowly. "My body shut down to preserve what was left. I looked dead, and once the solar energy had depleted without the sun I probably felt it as well."

"You're lying!" Silvia snapped.

"I lied to you once and you tried to kill me, I'd never dare do it again." The man teased, a smirk lifting to his face that only succeeded in annoying the woman even more.

Silvia jumped up from her seat, face red with fury and tears now falling freely down her face. Her hands were rolled into fists so tight that her knuckles had paled.

"This isn't a game! The man I loved died! He promised he'd never hurt me then he fucking died! I had to live without him, I had to learn to live in a world that was a constant reminder of what I had lost... He chose a piece of shit world with garbage fucking people over me, and then I had to protect those same people he died for. He... left me..." Silvia's voice broke, and now it was nothing but a raspy whisper struggling to find air. "He chose to leave me... You... left me."

Clark wanted to express how sorry he was and how much he loved her but his voice had left him. If he spoke, he'd break down, and he needed to be strong for her.

"You can't just die and make me mourn you, then come waltzing back in as if everything's the same! What if I don't want to go through this again?! What if I don't love you anymore?! You.. You fucking asshole!" In mere seconds the girl had collapsed to her knees in front of him, hands covering her face and dry sobs racking through her body. "I h-hate you!"

Her words were hurtful, and Clark felt them like blades piercing every inch of his body, but he knew she didn't mean them. She dealt with grief and sorrow differently to most. She simply wasn't use to having to confront her own emotions.

Clark shuffled a little closer and embraced her, pulling her into his chest and rubbing her back. She twisted and pushed in his grip, attempting to free herself, but he kept her in place with no trouble at all. "I'm sorry, Sil. I never wanted you to go through this."

"Sh-Shut up!" She sobbed out once more, sniffling and banging against his solid figure as if it would force him to let her go. It didn't. "Don't fucking touch me! I hate you!"

Her struggling intensified for a moment, then in no time at all, it lessened. He brought his hand up to her head and ran his fingers gently through her golden hair. "I'm sorry." He repeated continuously, whispering the words as calmly as he could manage.

"I can't do this again..." Silvia's voice was barely existent now. It had diminished within the exhaustion heavy crying and screaming brought. "I... I... m-missed you so much."

Clark's grip on her tightened slightly as he kissed her forehead. He felt her hands scrunch against the fabric of his costume and her face bury into his chest with a small whimper. "I missed you too."

This pain he had brought her was more than he could bare. Clark vowed to never do it again, whether she chose to continue their relationship or not. He would have to become stronger, to prepare for the worst, so that there was nothing in the entire Galaxy that could take him away from her again.


	60. Sixty

**_Chapter Sixty: The Man of Tomorrow_**

***Ten years later***

Time whirled by in a blur. One minute Silvia was moving back in with Clark and the next they had their own farm. That wasn't to say that it wasn't difficult saving up for such a vast expanse of land, but being together made everything worthwhile.

It took a few months for Silvia to organise her head space, and sometimes she still found it hard to accept that he was alive, but after that she had decided she never wanted to be without Clark again - as evident by the farm they now owned together. It was a cosy place with four small rooms and a decently sized kitchen. Clark had built the place himself after they purchased the property, and he ensured that Silvia's posters did not ruin his masterpiece.

She did, however, find a place for them when Conner moved out. His aging had slowed down tremendously, so much so that now he was growing too slowly. In the ten years since Clark had returned the boy had only advanced four years, meaning that he was still only eighteen. He had, however, inherited her love of old action movies and offered to take them off her hands. Silvia gladly gave him all but two - her Terminator poster and Arnold Schwarzenegger figure.

Eventually she managed to convince Clark to let her keep them in their room... and by 'convince', she meant that she put the poster up and threatened that if he took it down she'd move out. Arnold was always number one.

Their mornings usually followed a routine, and these early hours were no exception. Silvia had already set a cup of coffee on the table for Clark by the time he walked out of their bedroom. His sweet tooth still hadn't been sedated even after ten years; full cream milk, four spoonfuls of sugar, a hint of chocolate, and whipped cream.

As Silvia turned from the table and approached the stove top, she plucked several pieces of crackling bacon and eggs from the piping hot pans with a pair of tongs. She dropped them messily onto a bare plate as Clark's voice called "Looks like I'm just in time."

Silvia took this moment to hold the plate in front of her as she spun to look at her husband, a mock smile on her face. It quickly vanished when she noticed Clark's newly trimmed hair. "What do you think?" He asked anxiously.

For the last decade or so, he had kept the long hair length, but shaved regularly. Today however, Silvia noticed that his hair was as short as it was when they first met, but his face was adorned with a short beard that had appeared within the last week or so.

"I was going to shave later today. After I went into town to grab a few things. Do you need anything?"

"Don't shave. I like it." Silvia complimented, setting Clark's breakfast onto the table.

He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a red flannel shirt, sleeves rolled up. Clark paced over to Silvia, pecking her on the forehead. He quipped "Thanks, hon."

"You know, hearing you say thank you every single morning for ten years because I made you breakfast is starting to get old."

Smirking the way he always did when he said something clever, Clark lowered himself into the seat by the cup of coffee and plate of breakfast. "All the more reason for me to keep going."

Silvia turned back around, shaking her head light-heartedly as she raked two more eggs onto an extra plate. The moment she heard footsteps running up the hallway she placed it beside Clark's with a cup of orange juice.

From the archway, a small girl came into view. She was no older than nine and wearing a light blue nightgown. Her blonde hair tumbled forwards over her face, bleached whiter by the sun and looking more pale against her rosy cheeks. Her nose was small and tilted slightly upward, and her eyes were blue. Not the ordinary sky blue, or the colour of the paint flaking off of the old shed in the back of the field, or even the little flowers that sprung up by the side of the road. Her eyes were blue like the sea and were almost inhumanly prominent. She had to wear a pair of rectangular glasses to school just to dull the intensity of it.

"Morning, princess." Clark beamed, stabbing his fork into the bacon and bringing it up to his mouth. "What do you have there?"

The girl lifted two action figures into the air, one of Superman and the other of Wonder Woman. "They were having a competition!" She exclaimed happily, putting them on the table and jumping up onto her seat.

"Were they now?" Clark chuckled, leaning over to cut his daughter's eggs. "About what?"

"About who's stronger!" The girl kicked her legs as they dangled over the edge of her wooden chair, taking her plastic cup with both hands and taking a large gulp. "Who do you think would win, Pa?"

Clark's chest still swelled whenever she called him that. "Well, sweetie, sometimes being strong is about more than just your muscle. Sometimes it's about being smart and knowing when--"

"Wonder Woman." Silvia interrupted. "Definitely, Wonder Woman."

Clark glanced over at his wife with a mischievous smirk."I don't know that. Superman's done some pretty neat stuff."

"Neat?" Silvia scoffed. "Who even talks like that? Did I marry a grandpa or something?"

"You can take the farm boy out of Kansas, but you can't take Kansas out of the farm boy."

Silvia stared him through narrowed eyes. Her upper lip twitched and her nose wrinkled. "God, you're so lame..."

There was a moment of silence where Clark was returning Silvia's glare with a teasing smile, but this quickly ended when the little girl spoke once more. "So... does that mean Superman wins?"

A laugh rumbled through Clark's chest. "Who do you think would win, sweetheart?"

The girl took a minute ponder the thought. Her eyes fell from one figure to the next before pouring. "I don't want Superman to win... It's not fair because he wins at everything."

Clark crossed his arms and shot a smug look in Silvia's direction. The woman stuck her tongue out at her husband and leaned against the kitchen counter. Their daughter laughed at the sight and mimicked her mother's mockery.

"Excuse me." Clark said jokingly at his daughter's cheeky gesture. "You shouldn't be copying your mother, she's a bad influence on you."

The blonde girl giggled, grabbing her cup once more and finishing the last few drops of her juice. Suddenly, she straightened up in her chair and lifted her head as if she had remembered something. "Oh, I know what I want for my birthday!"

"Your birthday was last month..." Silvia replied.

"I want a Batman figure!" Their daughter yelled excitedly. "I like his spiky cape."

Silvia stared wide eyed at her daughter, body tensing and mouth edging into a disgusted frown. It was a 'I've failed as a parent' kind of look, and Clark couldn't have been more amused to see it.

"Batman's... weak, even I could beat him." Silvia said, with a discreet nod in Clark's direction. "Why not get Flash or Green Lantern or something."

"Green Lantern's boring... Why does he- I mean... Why... Why does he-" The girl stuttered in her childish voice, as if her mouth was struggling to voice her thoughts. Silvia had to suppress a laugh at the sound. "Why- Why does he have a Lantern? That's so stupid."

"Actually Jessie, it's a power battery that just looks like a lantern. That's why we call him that."

The girl blinked at her father in bewilderment. "But it doesn't look like a battery, it looks like a lantern."

"Yeah, Dorothy." Silvia said with the remnants of a laugh still on her lips. "It's a lantern."

Clark shook his head. Unfortunately for him Jessica Martha Kent acted much like her mother, and despite the slight country accent she got from her father, she spoke like her too... just without the swearing.

"I want Batman because he's really smart!" The girl continued with a grin. "He's way smarter than Superman, right?"

Silvia froze, her horror only being intensified by the mocking smile Clark sent her way. He knew that she couldn't say that Superman would win, but she certainly wasn't going to say anything nice about Batman. Eventually it seemed like she had to make a choice, and through her stubborn nature, she spoke through gritted teeth. "I don't think so."

Jessica exhaled aggressively and slumped in her seat. "Superman's good at everything, it's so stupid."

"He's not good at everything." Silvia responded with a playful glance in Clark's direction.

In the background, the television flashed with images of a bridge. The volume was low but both Clark and Silvia could hear it well enough. There was trouble, someone was endangering the people travelling over it.

"Well, he is good at some things." Clark quipped, directing towards the screen and watching as Silvia nodded in understanding.

They hadn't told their daughter yet, her knowing about their powers would only put her at risk... and besides that, they wanted her to have a normal life for as long as possible. They weren't even sure if she would ever develop Kryptonian powers, so putting added pressure on her sounded too cruel.

"Be safe at work." Silvia sighed, waiting for the man to step over to her. They kissed and their daughter made a grossed out look in the background.

"Always am." He smiled and his wife frowned.

"We both know that's not true." She said bitterly.

The man, to this day, felt a little guilty about what he had put her through. Still, he needed to leave so he just kissed her one more time, this time reassuringly, before rubbing his daughter's head. "Have fun at school, Jessie."

The girl nodded, absent-mindedly picking up her Wonder Woman doll and playing with the crown. Clark hurried out of the house in the most 'human' way possible, but once he was out of her sight he had taken off into the sky.

"Finish your breakfast, kiddo. You're already running late." Silvia said to the girl who was still staring at her action figures. "Come on, quickly."

Jessica obliged, but begrudgingly, taking large forkfuls of her eggs until nothing but the sticky yolk was left. "All done, Ma."

Silvia rushed to her side, pulling a small pair of glasses out of her pocket and securing it on Jessica's face. "Okay, let's get going then."

As per usual, Jessica had missed the bus and so Silvia had to drive her to school. This wasn't entirely the small girl's fault, her mother wasn't exactly the most organised person in the world either.

Once Silvia had ensured that Jessica was wearing her seatbelt, she started the engine with a twist of her keys. She had traded in her motorcycle for a car a while ago now. She still felt like a loser when she drove through crowded areas... but if it was safer for Jessica, than it was worth it.

"Why do I have to wear these glasses again, Ma?" She whined. "I can see fine without them."

"The doctor said it would prevent any future difficulties with your eyesight." Silvia lied for the hundredth time. "Just keep them on for me, alright kiddo?"

The girl pouted her lips stubbornly but still nodded in agreement, drawing her attention to happier things - like her action figures. Within this moment of silence, with the winding roads leading them away from the farm, Silvia reminisced about her pregnancy. After visiting the alternate earth, she was positive that they were having a boy. She could still recall how shocked she was to come home to a baby's room covered in pink. She supposed that was the point of different realities, they were never the same as the other.

Just as they approached the halfway mark towards the nearby town, Silvia noticed a red car appear behind them. It was old and battered, and looked like it belonged in a junkyard not on the road. They came closer, and Silvia rolled her eyes in irritation. Honestly, she was just trying to contain the road rage bubbling inside of her.

In an attempt to get some distance between her and the vehicle, she sped up. The car revved and fastened as well. Through the mirror Silvia's eyebrows furrowed, and before she could even realise what was happening, they had moved into the lane beside her. In less than a second they had swerved into her. The car rolled over, lights swirling and the noise of the metal being bashed over the concrete was almost deafening. The seatbelt tugged on Silvia's skin with every lurch and the air bag was already deflating.Her body jerked to the dashboard, her forehead colliding with the window.

The car had flipped so many times that Silvia had become disorientated before she even sustained the concussion that had her drifting in and out of consciousness. She was fleetingly aware of the bloody taste in her mouth but she couldn't figure out what it was. At times her eyelids fluttered and she thought she must be at home in bed because it was so dark. She could barely feel her arm reaching out to her daughter in a hopeless attempt to protect her.

By the time the car had skidded to a halt Silvia was only aware of two things; that someone had tried to kill them and that the resulting crash would have killed anyone that wasn't a Meta. That thought sent Silvia into a panic. Even through her slipping consciousness, she managed to move her head to the side. Her daughter wasn't moving.

The car door was forced open and a man yanked Jessica out of the car. Just as someone came to her own side, Silvia forced her mind to stay awake and kicked him back. Her shoe whacked against the mans nose and cracked it into a different direction, he screeched in agony and fell to the floor, hands filling with blood caught from his nostrils. Silvia stumbled out, eyes searching frantically for her daughter.

The man appeared in front of her, holding the unconscious Jessica in his arms. She was still breathing, but that was of little comfort once Silvia realised who had her. The man had a beard she could only describe as a bush, and a moustache to rival any old western star. But despite this great amount of hair on the lower half of his face, he was bald as an eagle, as in, he wore a toupee.

"We've been tracking Reaper for years now." He said in a gravelly voice. "And all evidence points towards you."

Silvia gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. They found her...even after she hung up the Reaper costume years ago.

They were some ragtag bunch of gangsters from all over trying to exact some kind of revenge...most likely for the lives Silvia took a long time ago. When she first had a feeling that she was being hunted, Jessica was two...and Silvia wasn't the kind of person who could stand having their child in danger. She and Clark took a step back from everything to raise their daughter. Superman became a blur, never making proper appearances in the press the way he used to. He didn't want to risk it, on top of the threat to his wife and child. If anyone found out that Superman had a daughter...

"Either you are her, or you know where she's hiding." The man snarled. "And seeing as you survived that crash largely intact, I think I know which one I'm betting on."

Silvia ignored his banter and growled, attention driven into the limp body of a girl in the man's arms. She didn't even have the opportunity to step forward before electricity jolted through her body. It felt like her insides were being fried.

Her left leg gave away, and she fell onto its knee. Silvia's eyes spied two small metal pins embedded into her thigh, each with a long curled wire tracing its way over to a taser, gripped tightly by one of the thugs.

She hissed and thrusted upwards with all of her might. The man's cocky smile weakened.

"What are you waiting for? Take her down!"

Another pair of electrodes struck Silvia's right arm, and the familiar crackling of the electrical weapon overran her senses. Every muscle in her body was on the edge of failure, but she couldn't let herself fall. Jessica was right there. Right in front of her.

Silvia's mind went fuzzy as she devoted everything to not succumbing to the incapacitating electrical charges. She was oblivious to the fact that two additional tasers had been fired at her in the seconds that followed.

Finally though, it became too much, even for her. Her limbs shuddered and her muscles twitched uncontrollably as she hit the ground. She groaned, but was the only sound she could manage to make.

The next time she was fully conscious of her surroundings she found herself in a small room, strapped to a chair with chains. She tugged against it, but it was made of something stronger than metal... Something even she couldn't break.

"Ma... What's happening?" Jessica's voice trembled, catching Silvia's attention enough for her to stop struggling against her restraints. Her daughter was in the same situation, stuck in a seat on the opposite end of the room.

"Jessie, are you alright?!" She said in a panic, and the girl nodded in response. "It's gonna be alright, sweetheart... I'll get us out of here."

Silvia tried again, this time with every ounce of strength in her body... still nothing. The longer she pushed against the chains the more exhausted her body became. She'd never wanted to escape so much in her life, and this was the only time that she couldn't. In the distance she could hear people beginning to speak, and though she could hear a couple fighting down the road, the thugs were too far away for their words to make sense.

Suddenly, Jessica inhaled sharply and spoke in a small voice. "They said they're gonna burn the shed, Ma... Where's the shed?"

The woman's eyes shot straight up at her daughter, lips parting in surprise and breath hitching. She wasn't sure which was more terrifying; that her daughter had heard that or knowing they were in the shed.

"It... doesn't matter." Silvia said in a shaky tone. "Everything's fine, but we need to try and get out of here, alright?"

A grunt growled through her throat as the chains began to dig further into her skin. Silvia attempted to not panic her daughter, but applying so much strength all at once made it difficult to not yell in overexertion. Her lungs had been squeezed of all their air, and when her head fell forward it felt like her brain wasn't receiving enough oxygen to function.

"Do you need help, Ma?" Jessica said, her slight lisp emphasised in her fear.

When her mother managed to lift her head again, her view of the shed was obscured by her daughter. She was standing in front of her, chains completely broken around the chair she was once sitting in.

"H-How did you..." She stuttered, the obvious answer blocked by absolute shock.

"I just pulled on them a little and they came off." The girl said, looking a little afraid that she was in trouble. "Did I do something bad?"

Silvia shook her head despite her malfunctioning brain. "N-No, kiddo... help me out if you can."

Jessica's small hands gripped onto the chains, and with one small tug, they fell apart in her hands. The whole situation seemed impossible, and yet it was happening. Their daughter really had inherited Kryptonian powers and earlier than expected... Clark's abilities hadn't appeared until he was about eleven.

"Burn it down." A man roared outside of the shed and it was enough to snap Silvia out of her own thoughts.

Silvia swept her daughter into her arms and rushed to the wooden door. With one kick it shot off its hinges, revealing the group of thugs outside. One was holding a lighter, and the other an empty can of gasoline. They all stared at the two in disbelief, faces twisting into anger.

"How did they escape?!" Toupee man yelled. "Who let them out?!"

"We let ourselves out." Silvia quipped, wanting nothing more than to run in guns blazing. She wanted to beat them with an inch of their lives for risking Jessica's life... but by giving into that urge she'd be doing the exact same thing.

Just as the gang lunged towards them, Silvia sprinted in the opposite direction. She was faster, but she was also injured and holding extra weight. Her leg felt like it had been twisted in the opposite direction from the crash, and only now was she starting to feel it.

"They're catching up!" Jessica cried, hands trembling and curling against her mother's shirt.

Silvia pushed herself further, teeth baring to try and prevent a cry from the pain. "It's... okay... we'll be... fine. Just don't... look."

She could hear their footsteps growing closer, but just before they could catch up, a scream punctured her ear drums. Mere seconds later she felt herself being lifted from the ground, soon they were so high up that trees resembled grass.

Silvia was only able to look back once she was let back down to the floor. She wasn't surprised to see Clark, but the absolute fury radiating off him was more intense than it had ever been.

"Are you two okay?" He asked, obviously fighting the desire to do worse to those thugs. He had called the police, so they'd be arrested, but God that didn't feel like enough for what they did. After assessing his daughter and making certain that she was unharmed, he turned his attention towards Silvia and his jaw tightened. "Sil... you're hurt."

"I'll be fine." Silvia's voice buzzed through her clenched teeth. She glanced back over to Jessica and motioned towards the small girl, who was now staring wide eyed at 'Superman'. "I think she's the more pressing issue."

"Pa?..." The girl mumbled, instantly recognising her father.

If she wasn't in so much pain, Silvia might have felt like a fool that a child recognised him immediately but it took herself months to discover it. "You need to explain this to her, Dorothy."

Clark gave a defeated sigh, looking as if he still wasn't ready for her to know. "Are you sure? Once we do this there's no going back."

"I'm sure." Silvia flicked him a nervous glance. "It's happened. She's like you."

The man's mouth hung open, forehead wrinkling and eyes glued to his confused daughter. Clark wasn't sure whether to be proud or saddened by the news. Regardless, he sauntered towards her and knelt down to her eye level. "Hey, princess..."

Jessica's powers were going to make life much more complicated than before, but with any luck, this could be a blessing. They would have to ensure that she used her abilities for good and not for selfish wants, and to ask that of a child was unfair. Clark had done it once though, so who was to say that Jessica couldn't?

Despite the terrifying reality that their daughter might take on Superman's mantle, it was accepted in that moment that she would one day face the choice to pretend to be normal or be something greater. The title of 'Supergirl' awaited her... but it was the name 'Scythe' that she would one day take pride in.

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**_Author's Note_**: And we're done! Thank you so much for supporting this story, but if you want to see more of Silvia, Clark, and Jessica, there will be another story released based around the 'Justice League' and their children. It will be made after I've completed my DC universe series (they will appear in the other stories as well). I hope you enjoyed it!


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